For the Sake of the World
by Uber Spoonz
Summary: A new quest, a new threat, and a new character. Who is Hieke? More twists than a bagel pretzel! Read to find out! Rated for occasional morbidness. W00T! This story is FINISHED! One of the best endings you're liable to read!
1. A Hero's Capture and Escape

Summary: Three months after the ferocious battle with Ganondorf, Link decides to take a look around Gerudo Valley. When he's captured by the warriors and thrown into prison, who comes to save him but a mysterious young Hylian girl raised by the Gerudos? Curious about this girl and the journey she's on, Link joins her in her quest to prevent Ganon's resurrection.

**Chapter 1: A Hero's Capture… And Escape**

"She's strong! Really strong!"

"Tee hee! Thanks for the compliment!"

The Gerudo warrior laughed as she made another attempt to knock Link down. The boy staggered, nearly tripping. _I can't let her win!_ he thought desperately as he struggled to regain his footing. He had thought it would be a good idea to explore the Gerudo Valley as a child, since it was so interesting when he was an adult. However, he hadn't considered the fact that the Gerudos wouldn't know him as a friend as they knew him in the future. He also had disregarded the fact that he couldn't handle the hookshot in his younger body. Should his foe succeed and throw him into the small cell where captives were kept, he'd have no means of escape.

"Child! You are a worthy opponent, but I fear this battle must end!" the Gerudo announced, swinging her crooked swords in a circular motion near the ground. Link jumped to avoid the assault, but the sword caught on his boot and felled him. In moments he was pinned and his hands were being tied. Link struggled furiously and tried to kick the woman off of him, but she only laughed at his efforts. She forced him to his feet and brought him into the light of the Valley.

The patrolling guards snickered and whispered to each other as Link's captor paraded him in the direction of the cell. "Now stay in there, little boy, until we come to interrogate you!" she sneered as she locked the door. She turned and dusted her hands, then strode proudly into the midst of her public.

Link strained against his bonds until his wrists bled. He smiled when he heard a snap behind him and felt the pressure on his hands being relieved. He stood and looked around, rubbing the sores on his hands gently. "Now what?" he sighed as he gazed at the single open window that he could use his hookshot to escape with. If, that is, he could use his hookshot at all. Which he couldn't. He turned his back on the window with another sigh and slumped down against the wall. Young Link didn't notice when an upside-down head appeared through the window.

"Boo!" the head shouted in a feminine voice. Link jumped to his feet with an exclamation and looked around a few times before thinking to check the window. "Who are you?" he demanded, trying to come off as brave and fearless.

The presumed girl giggled and jumped into the room elegantly. She appeared to be about as old as Link. Her skin was tan, though not as much as the Gerudos'. She had blond hair tied into a braid that extended down to her knees and bangs that were brushed aside in a way that mostly covered the right side of her face. Her eyes were amber in color and glowed with the fire of youth. She wore a white shirt and an orange jacket that just barely reached her waist. She had on an orange skirt with white patterns and boots the same hue as her jacket.

Link studied the girl's features carefully, making note of any weapons she may have. The child looked at him with confusion and tried to figure out what he was looking at. She eventually gave up. "Hi! My name is Hieke! What's yours?" she asked smilingly.

Taken aback by her undying optimism, Link answered a little apprehensively. Hieke nodded, memorizing the name, and turned to the door. "Let's see," she muttered, fidgeting with the door knob curiously. "Yeah, this is definitely Gerudo workmanship. Or should I say work-woman-ship?" she giggled. Link smiled blandly at the pun. He was more interested in escape than exchanging clever quips with a stranger.

"Hum, let's see… Uh, this one is different from the others. We'll have to find another way out," Hieke announced after a short while. Link gave her a wary look. "How do you know so much?" he inquired suspiciously. Hieke shrugged. "You could say that I get around," she replied, obviously trying to hide something. Link chose not to ask at the time.

"Well, uh… heh. I'm not exactly sure how to get back up to the window. I kinda counted on the lock being like the locks in all the other parts of the Valley. Guess I was wrong. So… do you have a bomb?" Hieke asked hopefully. Link nodded and pulled a bomb from his Dodongo's skin bomb bag. He carefully placed the explosive in Hieke's waiting hands. The girl took a match from her back pocket and lit the fuse, then tossed the bomb through the window. The screams of frightened Gerudos could be heard as the bomb was about to blow.

"Take cover!" Hieke shouted as she crouched against the back wall. Link, worried, did the same. He was beginning to question this girl's sanity. The bomb exploded and took out the wall with ease. Hieke laughed and skipped outside. Her laughter ceased when she saw the dozens of angry Gerudo guards waiting for them. Link peeked around the corner of the demolished wall cautiously. When he saw the potential danger Hieke was in, he disposed of all rational thought and leaped in front of her to protect her.

"Hieke! Stay behind me!" he hissed, drawing his sword. If the Gerudos won this time, they'd probably kill him.

"Stop!" Hieke demanded as she scampered to stand between the conflicting warriors. "Where is Lea? Tell her Tadaka is here!"

One of the guards ran off and returned moments later with another Gerudo dressed in gold and crimson. "Tadaka!" she exclaimed as she dashed to Hieke's side. Link, needless to say, was thoroughly confused.

"No, Lea," Hieke said sadly. "I don't call myself that anymore. Please call me Hieke."

The regally dressed Gerudo, most likely the one called Lea, gave the orange-clad young girl a quizzical look. "Tadaka, what do you mean? What happened?" she asked, her hands on Hieke's shoulders. Link sighed and sat down on the ground, preparing himself for a long story.

"Tadaka is a Gerudo name. I'm Hylian," Hieke explained.

"But… You were raised here among us Gerudos. You are one of us!"

"I was at one point, but not anymore!"

"Why, Tadaka?"

"Because you've become bad people! You steal things, and you capture and hurt people!"

"Tadaka…"

Hieke's shoulders stiffened. "Please call me Hieke," she asked again. Lea bowed her head in surrender. "Yes, Hieke," she whispered. She looked up with a weak smile. "There was once a time when you would pillage with the best of them. You couldn't care less whether or not the people we stole from were innocent. Now here you are… only a couple years later, releasing our captive and disowning the only family you know."

Link wouldn't allow the guilt trip to continue. "Hieke is doing the right thing!" he called, walking forward to join the conversation. "She's right! It's wrong to steal from and hurt innocent people! And as for disowning the only family she has… She probably should, but that's not what she's doing."

Hieke smiled approvingly at Link. Lea watched him speak with melancholic eyes. "She has abandoned the name only, not you or the other Gerudos. And she's obviously come here to ask that you don't hurt anyone else meaninglessly," Link finished.

"We certainly can't just allow anyone into our Valley without reprimand!" one of the listening guards spat. The others murmured in agreement. Lea, however, smiled at Link warmly. "You understand a great deal for one so young," she complimented. She turned to Hieke. "I pledge from this day forward that the Gerudos will no longer be infamous thieves that terrorize and plunder villages. Hieke… will you now return to us?"

The young girl shook her head, her long braid moving in sync with her motions. "I'm sorry, Lea, but there are things I have to take care of. You don't want the Prophecy to be fulfilled, do you?" she said, declining the offer. Link turned his head at this. What Prophecy was she talking about?

Lea nodded. "You will return when your job is complete? You could easily inherent leadership in the Valley, be you a true Gerudo or not."

Hieke stared at her feet for a few moments, then looked up at Lea with a broad smile. "Of course!" she replied, her eyes closed in delight. "This is my home," she paused and surveyed the gathering of Gerudos for a short minute, "and my family."

Link grinned at Hieke. She was more mature than she appeared. Mature enough to phrase her responses delicately and know at what point enough is enough, as well as when to forgive and forget. Hieke gave Lea her farewell, then turned and headed for the exit. Link smiled and bowed to the Gerudos, then followed after his potential friend.

It didn't take Hieke long to notice she was being followed. She turned and looked at Link with a nervous smile. "Uh, I set you free. So you can go home now," she said with a soft chuckle. Link then remembered why he wanted so badly to follow this girl.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but what did you mean when you said that the Prophecy would be fulfilled if you stayed with the Gerudos?" he asked. Hieke responded by narrowing her eyes and scowling at him. "It's not your business!" she shouted as she took off in the opposite direction. Link stopped walking and stared after the running girl in curiosity. So she was a Hylian, falsely raised as a Gerudo. Just like he was brought up as a Kokiri. He summoned Epona and mounted her quickly, ready to give chase to Hieke. They were more alike than she knew, and he was determined to help her realize that.

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Cliffhanger? Cliffhanger? What _is_ Hieke trying to protect? By the way, her name is pronounced Hee-**AY**-kay. Her Gerudo name, Tadaka, is pronounced **TAH**-duh-kah. And it's **LEH**-uh, not Lee (in reference to "Lea"). Okay, that's the first chapter of my first fiction! Five reviews and I'll update!


	2. In Pursuit of Knowledge

Thanks go out to mah reviewers!

JanaGray: Here's your update.

he who does not log in: I'm glad you like it.

mxedcherub: Naw, Hieke is NOTHING like Zelda. For one, she isn't useless.

Dragon-Charmer16: Wow, you really like it that much? Well, I've updated! How about you?

CheesefromJupiter: Thank you! And w00ts for updating!

Many, many thanks to all you who reviewed! Thank you all so much! Now, on with the story!

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**Chapter 2: In Pursuit of Knowledge**

The girl heard the sound of hoof beats and looked over her shoulder to see Link astride a chestnut mare coming towards her at full gallop. She looked back ahead and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She would not allow for an innocent bystander to become caught up in her journey.

"Hieke!" Link called, urging Epona to move faster. She whinnied in protest, but continued moving despite her weariness. Hieke was tired as well. She looked left and right, hoping to find a decent place to hide. Suddenly her agile feet tripped over a large stone that she hadn't noticed in her flight. Hieke fell to the dusty road and immediately turned to see where her pursuer was.

Link slowed his steed to a stop and quickly dismounted, rushing to Hieke's side. "Are you all right?" he asked as he offered to help her up. Hieke ignored his extended hand and rose on her own power, dusting off her soiled clothes. "I told you that my dilemma is not of your concern!" she scolded, flailing her arms wildly. Link stared on, partly in fright and partly in amusement, as the Hylian girl pointed at him and waved her arms in the air, shouting the whole time.

"This is my problem! And I have to fix it!" she concluded with tears in her eyes. Link was concerned by this. "Why are you crying?" he asked worriedly. Hieke quickly brushed the tears from her eyes and smeared dirt across her face in the process. "I-I have to finish this quest! B-but… There's something missing! Something vital to my success! A-and if I fail…!" she explained through gentle sobs. "If I f-fail… the whole of Hyrule w-will… Ganondorf will…" She trailed off, biting her lower lip and turning away.

Link exclaimed in shock. "Did you say Ganondorf!" he repeated, eyes wide. Hieke looked up at him sheepishly and nodded. "Th-there's going to be a revival of the Gerudo King of Thieves… I have to stop it! Ganon once wreaked a great evil upon this land. If his revival is completed, he'll no doubt try again!" she explained.

Link looked at the ground, a scowl on his face. "This is unprecedented!" he hissed fiercely. Hieke stared at the Kokirish boy in befuddlement. Link murmured a few things to himself, then looked at Hieke with a determined and vengeful expression. "Ganon is my responsibility," he stated in an even tone. "If you are on a quest that has anything to with him, I will accompany you."

Hieke shook her head, then closed her eyes and nodded. "I don't want you to get mixed up in this, but you may be able to help me. I'm looking for an item. It's a treasure guarded by the Royal Family, but they deny having it with them. I'm looking for the Ocarina of Time," she said in a defeated voice. Link smiled and pulled out the blue ocarina given to him by Princess Zelda what seemed like so long ago. Hieke gasped.

"How do _you_ have that!" she said in awe. Link placed the instrument in her hands and watched as the Hylian girl turned it over and over, studying its features. Her fingers brushed against the Triforce emblem near the mouthpiece. "Why on earth do you have this?" she repeated. Link beamed proudly. "You may not recognize me, but I'm the Hero of Time! I put Ganon-dork in his place the first time around!" he announced boastfully. Hieke oohed and ahed, admiring the boy for his heroism.

"So, if you killed him, why is he coming back to life?" she asked innocently. "You must not have killed him too well!"

Link tripped, even though he was standing still at the time. He stood and folded his arm behind his head, scratching at his cap absently. "Well, he was pretty darn dead last time I looked," he mumbled, blushing. Hieke laughed, clearly amused. Link was glad to see that she was back to normal, even if normal for her was bubbly and hyperactive.

"Well, if you have the Ocarina of Time, let's get going!" she declared when she had expelled the last of her giggles from her system. Link looked at her curiously. "To where?" he asked, having no idea what sort of plans Hieke already had made. The Hylian girl looked at him with a wide smile.

"Where else?" she asked. "To find the Amulet!"

Link stared at Hieke in confusion. "What on earth are you talking about?" he said, surrendering to his lack of knowledge despite his feelings of degradation. Hieke smiled knowledgeably, obviously more than happy to explain. "The Amulet of Epochs, the treasure to end all treasure as we know it. If we're going to stop Ganon's resurrection, we need to find that gem. Trouble is, I don't know what era to look in!" she explained.

"What do you mean, don't know what era?" Link asked, cocking his head to the side. Hieke sighed. It seemed she tired of explanations easily. "The Amulet could be in this time or in the future. Seven years, I believe. Also, I'm not exactly sure _where_ to look. So we have all of Hyrule to cover… twice."

Link's mouth hung agape in astonishment. "You're kidding," he said. Hieke shook her head with a weak grin. Link muttered something to himself, probably a few curse words, then stared at the sky. "All of Hyrule," he repeated. "Twice over…"

Hieke pressed her lips together. "But, it won't be that bad! If we talk to the Guardian Spirits, we should be able to find the Amulet easily. And locating the Guardian Spirits shouldn't be too hard either!" she said enthusiastically. Link shook his head with a long sigh. "We might as well get started," he proclaimed dispiritedly. "Where do we look first?"

The Hylian girl looked at the sky. "Well, we have seven areas to visit. Which do you wanna look at first? Forest, mountain, water, shadow, spirit, light, or… er, Zelda?" she asked with a smirk. She couldn't wait to see how the Hero of Time responded to that.

"You're kidding," he said again. "Heh, I should've guessed. Let's do the forest one first." Hieke nodded her agreement and they set off to find the Forest Spirit.

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Oh man! I'm so sorry! This chapter bites! No humor, no action... but it _does_ get the plot rollin'. Next chapter is where some of the humor and action kicks up. Five more reviews if you wanna read it! So... if everyone who reviewed the first time will review again, I'll have the third chapter up in no time! R&R, please, guys and girls!


	3. Finding the Forest Spirit

More reviews! WHEEE!

Dragon-Charmer16: Wow, do you have me on alert? You were the first to review, and you did so just moments after I updated! For that, you get a cookie! (gives Dragon-Charmer16 a cookie) I don't see how in the world you could have enjoyed Chapter 2; it was so boring... But here's Chapter 3, and it's interesting!

Jan+Ant: Well, he'd probably say "Ganon-dork" if he ever spoke. They _are_ mortal enemies, after all.

Jess(insert random numbers here): Umm... hallo?

ATREYA OWNS YOU ALLISON: Thanks and… okay, if you say so…

CheeseFromJupiter: Yeah, getting into the plot is always a good thing. Thanks for the review and here's your update!

Many, many more thanks to mah reviewers. Sorry Chapter 2 was so gosh-darn boring. Without further ado, here's Chapter 3!

**Chapter 3: Finding the Forest Spirit**

"So," Link began, trying to make conversation. "Is this Forest Spirit in the Lost Woods or what?" Hieke nodded. "It should be. Each of the Guardian Spirits tends to try to watch over the Sages. But… I'm really stumped when it comes to the seventh Sage, Zelda. What's she the Sage of, anyway? Light is taken," she said wonderingly.

"She's the Sage of Uselessness," Link snickered. He and Hieke laughed long and hard. "She sure is! But seriously, what do you think she is?" she asked again, brushing a gleeful tear from the corner of her eye.

Link shrugged, as perplexed as his companion. "I'd say Shadow, but that's Impa. And like you said, Uselessness doesn't count. She could _never_ be the Sage of Light, and not just because of Rauru already having that title. Hum… And cross-dressing isn't an element either…"

Hieke suppressed her laughter this time, though it hurt her stomach to do so. The entrance to the Kokiri Forest loomed in the distance. Link smiled, happy to see his home again. "Ugh, I hope Mido isn't the Guardian Spirit of the Forest," he said smugly. Hieke smiled in sympathy. Mido was like a grape popsicle; no one liked him and no one ever will.

The Hylian girl paused at the entrance to the forest. "There's a rumor that anyone who isn't Kokiri that goes into the forest will be turned into a Stalfos," she reported nervously. Link chuckled at this. "_I'm_ not Kokiri," he reminded. Hieke nodded and cautiously entered through the hollow log. Once they were both inside, she fell to the ground writhing and screaming in agony.

"Link! I told you!" she shrieked. Link was paralyzed and speechless with horror. Suddenly Hieke's screams were silenced and her wriggling halted. Then she erupted with laughter. "Link! You looked so freaked out!" she laughed, gasping for breath. The young hero was mortified, but smiled and helped Hieke to her feet nonetheless.

"You're gonna get that one back," he warned as she stood. She rolled her eyes, still giggling. "We're going to the Lost Woods, correct?" she asked, skipping ahead then stopping to wait for Link's reply. The boy looked in the direction of the Woods, still contemplating his revenge on Hieke. "Yeah, that's where the Forest Temple is. If the Guardian Spirit of the Forest is anywhere near here, that's where it'll be," he assented as he began to lead Hieke towards the Lost Woods.

Link seemed to know his away through the Woods extremely well, so Hieke merely followed close by, taking in the wonders of the forest. They eventually come upon an area that looked totally different. "Sacred Forest Meadow," Hieke breathed. It was all new and so beautiful to her. She'd never been inside a forest, having grown up in a land that bordered a most inhospitable desert. It was all lush and green. Life was everywhere.

"Here we are," Link announced as he stopped walking, causing the inattentive Hylian girl to walk into him. She stumbled backwards and muttered her apology, then looked around. She inhaled deeply.

"I, Hieke, summon the Guardian Spirit of the Forest!" she called, throwing her arms above her dramatically. There was a long pause. "Okay! Spirit of the Forest! All the blood is rushing from my fingers, so if you wanna pick up the pace, I wouldn't be offended!" Hieke called again. There was still no response. "Yo, Spirit!" she shouted angrily. "I can't feel my flippin' hands! Get down here now!"

Link kept his snickering to himself as best he could. Hieke finally let her arms fall to her side with a frustrated sigh. She made a fist and shook it at the Forest Temple. "Fine! Don't help us prevent Ganon's revival! See if we care!" she threatened and turned around with a disgusted scoff. Link walked up to the temple. "Don't mind her; she's just hyperactive," he whispered in apology.

"I heard that!" Hieke yelled, her arms crossed.

"How! I whispered!"

"Whispered? You may as well have bellowed it with a five part echo!"

There was a very gentle sound behind them, like the sound a breeze makes when it flows through a tree. Hieke and Link about-faced and stared in momentary awe at the tiny fairy that sat upon the nearby stump.

"I am the Guardian Spirit of the Forest," she said with a chirping voice.

"Thank divine entities! We've been trying to-"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not in at the moment. If you leave your name, a place of contact, and a short message at the beep, I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible." A tone sounded.

Link erupted in laughter, but Hieke was far from amused. "What kind of stunt is this!" she growled at the little fairy. "Lady Tadaka?" the fairy squeaked. Link's laughter ceased and Hieke drew back a bit to give the fairy more room. "Uh, my name is Hieke now," the Hylian girl informed.

"Oh, Lady Tada- sorry, Lady Hieke! It is horrible!" the fairy squealed, waving its arms in alarm. Hieke moved to put a finger on the tiny fairy's shoulder, but it passed through. She gasped and stared at the image, bewildered.

The fairy smiled sadly. "I am not really here, Lady Hieke. I've been captured by a Wolfos that wants three thousand pounds of butter."

Link and Hieke stared, their eyes wide. The fairy giggled, her laughter like a chime.

"I'm kidding!" she beamed. "Link, the poes you defeated about seven years from now have taken me hostage. Without me, the Guardian Spirit of the Forest, the Kokiri Forest and all other trees and vegetation in Hyrule will parish. By the way, my name is Rose, not "little fairy". Please hurry and defeat the poes again… or for the first time… This is really confusing. You know what, just defeat them ,okay?"

With that, Rose of the Forest's holographic doppleganger vanished. Link raised an eyebrow and scoffed. Hieke chuckled softly and shook her head. This was going to be a very long journey…

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Love it? Hate it? Give me some feedback, man! By the way, the Wolfos thing is from another fic I wrote... or am writing. It's not up here yet, 'cause I've been so busy with this one. And... I'm sorry if any Mido-lovers or grape popsicle-lovers or Zelda-lovers out there were offended by my comments... R&R? Pleezes? I'll give you the next chapter if I can have... just five more reviews!


	4. A Rose by Any Other Name Or Something

OMG! I'm getting so many reviews! It's totally awesome!

Dragon-Charmer16: I'm glad you like it! Once again, you're first and you get the cookie! (gives another cookie) Yeah, that's one of my favorite chapters. If you like that, you'll LOVE when the scene with the Water Spirit…

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: Yeah, I know what you mean (about the OCs) I figured since Zelda has the most OC fics I've ever seen, why not contribute? Thank you for your review!

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: Thank you.

Jana+Anthony: It's from a Tales of Symphonia/Zelda crossover thing I wrote a long time ago, but you'll probably never see it because it's in script format and I'm not allowed to post those… XP

Lil-dragon-blue: I'd LOVE a Deviantart account, but I think I'd better just be grateful for what I have for now… Yeah, it's _kinda_ a LinkxHieke situation, but I never more than just hint at it until the very end of the fic. Glad you could find time to read and review! (gives a cookie just 'cause she's my most favorite-est author!)

Yayness! Now… onto the story!

**Chapter 4: A Rose by Any Other Name… or Something**

Don't ask how, but Link and Hieke managed to get into the Forest Temple. Link looked around at the main room with great curiosity. When he had last left it, he had restored the light to the torches. Of course, that was seven years in the future. For all he knew, they had always been out before that.

They heard a poe laugh evilly and strained to see through the blanket of shadow that engulfed them. Hieke exclaimed as four ghastly monsters appeared, each adorned with a differently colored garb. Link growled. These were definitely the poes he had worked so hard to defeat once before.

"The Guardian Spirit of the Forest lies within. Proceed if you wish to face our wrath," they said in monotonous unison, then they faded into the darkness. Link looked very concerned. The Forest Temple had been difficult enough to navigate in his older body. How he was supposed to succeed as his younger self was beyond him. Hieke, however, appeared as confident as usual.

"We _will_ face it! And we'll win, too!" she shouted, shaking her fist at the area where the poes first appeared. Link rolled his eyes and sighed with a bit of a smile. _What an idealist_, he thought as he watched Hieke stride ahead bravely. She turned around and huffed. "What are you waiting for, Ganon's revival? Let's get going!" the Hylian girl instructed, turning back around and heading for the door.

Link ran ahead to lead the way. After all, he had been through the Forest Temple before. Hieke snorted slightly when Link silently elected himself leader. She was just as able as any boy, despite his being the legendary Hero of Time. Just because she didn't have an entire fable strapped to her name didn't mean she was any less of a warrior. Hieke grinned to herself. Hopefully Link would get to see firsthand what she was capable.

"We go left here," Link stated matter-of-factly when they reached the next room. He pushed the door open and entered. Hieke didn't follow and instead started laughing. She knew full well what was behind _that_ door. Link ran back out shortly after, pale and out of breath. "Not that door," he muttered, heading for the other doorway in the room. Hieke shook her head, still smiling. Behind _that_ door was a pair of Stalfos eager for a fight.

Link navigated fairly well, only leading them into a few unnecessary conflicts. "So, after we find Rose, where are we headed?" Link asked after a while, just to make conversation. Hieke shrugged. "You know the areas we have to cover. What's closest?" she said casually, turning to her travel companion.

"We can reach both Death Mountain and Zora Domain by means of the Lost Woods," he explained. Hieke nodded. "Why don't we stick to your previous adventure and find the Fire Spirit first?" she suggested. Link voiced his agreement, then the room when abruptly dark. Hieke gasped and took a quick scan of the chamber to check for the poes. Link drew his sword and stood in waiting. If the poes would attack, they wouldn't wait for an invitation. That much he was sure of.

A wicked laugh echoed through the room and a poe with a red robe over its hunched shoulders appeared. A lamp with a crimson flame burned brightly in its hand. Then it vanished into the dark. Link moved to take his shield off his back, then stopped halfway as he remembered his past experiences with a Deku shield and fire. Hieke took off a crescent-shaped pendant that had been hidden in his shirt. She clasped her hands around it and murmured a few words. When she revealed the pendant again, it was glowing and changing form. In mere moments Hieke was holding a Gerudo broadsword firmly in her hands.

Link stared at the blade with envy as he compared it to his Kokiri sword. Hieke's weapon was long and wide with a curve at the end like all Gerudo blades. Scarlet patterns ran up the base of the sword like fire, gradually fading about a foot or so in with a ruby crescent situated in the very center of the pattern. There was a bright orange cloth tied about the golden hilt. The whole sword looked as though it was born of fire. Hieke noticed Link staring and directed his attention back to the battle with a few inspirational words:

"What the freak are you doing! We're in the middle of a fight here! Concentrate!"

Link blushed and tightened his grip on his sword with renewed determination. The poe reappeared and started spinning in an increasingly swift circle. It charged at Link and Hieke, flames spewing from it's lantern and setting the decorative carpets alight.

Hieke jumped to the side and Link quickly pulled out his Hylian shield to block the blow. The poe's lantern bounced off the metal shield and it quickly withdrew in surprise. Hieke attacked the ghost from behind with shout of triumph. The poe screeched in pain, then disappeared again. "Darn ghost!" Hieke muttered fiercely, preparing herself to pounce the next time her foe reared its ugly head.

The poe appeared again behind the Hylian girl and was in the immediate vicinity for a close-range attack. Hieke did a quick forward flip, landing gracefully in a crouched position. Link attacked the poe while it was still stunned from seeing Hieke's agile feat. This time when the poe shrieked, it disappeared in a red cloud, leaving only its lantern behind. With nothing holding it up anymore, the lamp fell to the ground and shattered, then disintegrated into the red flame it contained.

Link laughed victoriously. "One down!" he said, making a victory sign. Hieke shook her head. "And three to go, each being more difficult to track down and defeat," she reminded. Link huffed and turned away. _So much for optimism…_

They carefully made their way through the Forest Temple and trounced two of the remaining three poes. All that was left was the infamous purple poe, the poe that nearly had Link's life the first time he faced it. She was the only poe with the ability to make copies of herself. The secret to revealing her true form was to watch for the copy that spun around one extra time when it appeared. Of course, Link had discovered that when the battle was nearly over.

"We searched this entire temple over!" Hieke groaned as she leaned against the wall. "The last poe isn't here!"

Link shook his head. "There's one room left to look through," he stated grimly. He hoped with all of his heart that the poe wouldn't use the decor of the room to her advantage. The last room to search was the Boss Chamber, the location of the great evil that tainted the Temple seven years in the future. Hopefully Phantom Ganon wasn't around this time. Link shuddered. That battle had been more difficult the conflict with the real Ganon. Or maybe Ganondorf was just a wimp.

Link solemnly led Hieke into the bleak room. They ascended the winding staircase cautiously. The purple poe was bound to appear soon, and they needed to be ready. They stepped into the arena-like area and looked around expectantly. Hieke studied the dozen or so identical pictures on the walls, each depicting a road leading into a darkened forest.

"I guess she isn't here," Link shrugged as he headed back towards the staircase. A barrier of spiked bars shot up to block him. Link stumbled backwards, then remembered what was happening. "Forgot about this," he murmured and took his place beside Hieke. The girl readied her sword and looked around alertly. The purple poe appeared above them with a short, haunting musical interlude, then vanished into one of the paintings.

"Oh, you little _wannabe_!" Link shouted with contempt. "You'll _never_ be as tough as Phantom Ganon, even if you copy his strategies! Hieke! She can appear in any one of these paintings, so keep your eyes open. If you see her, stab the painting with your sword. If nothing happens, no screams or anything, then you better look out…"

An image of the purple poe suddenly appeared in four of the twelve paintings. Link stared with awestruck eyes. Maybe the purple poe _could_ be as tough as Phantom Ganon if it really believed. He had a random mental image of a little poe dressed in purple sitting in a bigger poe's lap with the bigger poe saying, "You can grow up to be anything you want to be!" He couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you doing!" Hieke said in astonished ferocity. "This is nothing to laugh about! Pay attention! You can laugh at the dancing monkey in your head when the battle is over!"

Link nodded in mortification and took out two of the poe images, both turning out to be mere copies. Hieke stabbed at one of the other two and it let out a bloodcurdling scream. She smiled at Link victoriously. They carried on like that until Hieke started singing.

"I'm just a Hylian warrior who wears Gerudo clothes! Just how strong I really am, no one ever knows! I slay hordes of enemies, keeping them on their toes! Now here I am fighting against the purple poes!" she sang happily. Suddenly the extra poe images vanished and the real poe started thrashing and convulsing, screaming in agony the whole time. It then exploded in a puff of purple mist. Link looked at Hieke with a joking grin, his hands clasped firmly over his ears.

"Nice one!" he shouted as though he were deaf. Hieke gave him a short scowl, then a faint green light appeared in the center of the arena. In the center of the light was the tiny fairy called Rose.

"Thank you for defeating the poes, but did you have to make that mind-wrenching sound?" she said, patting one of her ears to stop the ringing. Hieke huffed and looked at the ground. Rose giggled. "It got the job done," she reminded.

Link crouched down to get a better look at the fairy. She looked so much like Navi, but had a different outfit and glowed a different color. "Lady Hieke, do you have the Ocarina of Time?" Rose asked in her chiming voice. The Hylian girl gestured to Link, who removed his blue ocarina from his pocket and showed it to the Forest Spirit. Rose nodded and looked at Hieke again.

"Lady Hieke, where is the Moon Pendant?" she asked. Hieke placed a hand on her sword and muttered a few words. The steel began to glow, then it retracted to its original form. She placed the pendant on the ground in front of Rose. The litte fairy studied it for a moment, then instructed Hieke to try to combine the necklace with Link's ocarina.

The Hylian girl held her pendant in one hand the ocarina in the other. She closed her eyes and whispered something. This time Link listened hard and heard what she was saying.

"By the moon and stars, give new form to these items."

It was some kind of incantation. The items in her hands glowed she slowly moved them together until they were one. There was a bright flash that momentarily blinded Link. When the light faded, Hieke was holding a slender flute-like instrument. There was an emblem of a crescent moon with the Triforce inside the indentation at one end. Rose smiled gleefully at the results of Hieke's combination.

"That's it! The Pipe of Ages! Now all you need is the Amulet of Epochs!" she giggled, running her hand along the ivory flute. Link breathed a gentle sigh of amazement at the beautiful instrument his ocarina had been turned into. It was long and thin, made of ivory with swirls of blue running down its length like vines. Then there was the crescent Triforce emblem, etched into the surface and embossed with pure silver. Compared to this, the Ocarina of Time looked like a child's toy.

"Rose, we're looking to find all the Guardian Spirits in hopes that when you combine your powers, you'll be able to show us where the Amulet of Epochs is," Hieke explained, keeping a firm grasp on the gorgeous instrument in her hands. Rose turned away and wandered in the opposite direction. "I don't know," she whispered as she paced. "Maybe… But I'm not sure if our powers alone will be enough. The Amulet is indeed a great source of power; so great, in fact, that it must be very well hidden to keep it from the hands of evil."

Link stared at the fairy with discouragement lingering in the depths of his gaze. "Does that mean that our journey is a lost cause?" he asked, his voice disheartened as though he had already been given the answer that he feared. Rose shook her head and gave the Hylian pair a fragile smile. "If you can learn a certain song and play it on the Pipe of Ages while in the company of all the Guardian Spirits, you may have just enough power to pull of such an achievement," she explained. "Unfortunately, I know neither what the song is nor where you can learn it."

Hieke nodded slowly, he lips pressed together. She stood up with a resolute smile across her lips and gestured for Link to rise as well. "We'll find that song!" she promised. "We'll learn it… for the sake of the world and all who inhabit it!"

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Well, there ya go! The statement that spawned the name of this fic! So? How is it? And just to give all you deadbeats something to talk about in your reviews: I like pie! What's your favorite flavor of pie and why?

Note: That question is just for you guys who have nothing else to say in your review...

Five more reviews and I update! It gets much better next chapter!


	5. Flames of Determination

Sorry I'm late, guys… I didn't know my first fic would be so popular so quickly! Onto the replies!

Egyptiangirl01: Thanks, and don't think I don't know who you are. ;)

Lil-dragon-blue: I'm getting all kinds of odd glitches with mine. Don't feel left out. Thanks for reviewing!

Girl that um reads stuff: Heh, I get that a lot. (I KNOW YOU TOO!)

Lil-dragon-blue: I thought Link said something… maybe _I_ forgot that. –is confuzzled as well- XD Nice exit, by the way!

Rathsgrlalwyz: You must have a fetish with reviewing in a different name each time or something. O.o Whatever, as long as I get mah reviews! Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you like it!

Lil-dragon-blue: Heh, I'm tired too. I reply so quickly because I'm always online and this story is totally finished; I'm just posting it little by little. And I don't really mind the quality of your reviews as long as I get mah reviews! Thanks! …and you're quite welcome with the links; it's no problem at all.

Minemineallmine: Not everyone can be as good a singer as you… and might I suggest that you pick one name and stick to it? Thanks for reviewing, though.

Jana+Anthony: AGH! I can't believe I missed that! Thank you for telling me, I'll get around to fixing it eventually… Keep in mind that I do most of my writing after midnight… And… I like chocolate and pecan pie as well! Those are my favorites.

Gina: Here's your update!

(no name): You forgot to put your name… Yeah, well, I don't really like Zelda that much. XP She'll live.

Someone mysterious: Aww… you should read the story, not just review because someone told you to! XP

Zeldafreak123: What a coincidence! I was watching Tomb Raider too… Thanks.

Dragon-Charmer16: It doesn't matter if you aren't first. This time, you all get a cookie! (gives everyone who reviewed a cookie) Also, double quotation marks are normally used to identify a quote, and I use single quotation marks when I write a quote within a quote. But you can do whatever you want, 'cause your story is awesome as it is!

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: Thank you!

Many more thanks to everyone who reviewed! (gives everyone another cookie, gives Dragon-Charmer16 an apple pie) I love you all so much! Now… onto the story!

**Chapter 5: Flames of Determination**

Link led Hieke through the Lost Woods towards the entrance to Death Mountain. They traveled in silence. To Hieke, the forest looked even brighter than it did before. _Because Rose is free, all the plants are healthier_, she explained to herself. It then hit her the intensity of the good they were doing for the world, as well as the intensity of the evil that would befall them all should they fail.

"We bear the weight of the world on our shoulders," Link said as though he had been listening to Hieke's thoughts. The Hylian girl laughed. "Don't you mean 'fate' in place of 'weight'?" she giggled. Link blinked.

"Do I?"

Hieke shook her head, still chuckling. The soft laughter was soon replaced by silence, at which point Link again deemed it as his responsibility to make conversation. "So… If you don't mind my asking, what was your relationship with Lea?" he asked as he tried to decide which tunnel to take to reach the Death Mountain entrance. Hieke stared into the sky lazily.

"Lea found me outside the Valley when I was much younger. As the leader of the Gerudos, she chose to take me in and raise me as a Gerudo. She always said that with Nabooru gone, I would inherit leadership when the time came," she explained. "Lea was like a mother to me. Then one day I was out with a few of my friends and we were captured by Hylian soldiers. After that, well… Let's just say it was an eye-opening experience."

"What happened?" he said and took the passageway to the right.

Hieke sighed. "The soldiers took one look at me and told me that I was free to go, since I wasn't a Gerudo. The princess, Zelda, asked me what I was doing with the Gerudos. After I gave my answer, she looked appalled. She showed me the havoc and destruction that was sown across the land as a result of the Gerudos' pillaging. I was disgusted and abandoned the name Lea gave me. I sought to help people who had been hurt by the transgressions of my people. After I had helped them recover, I felt guilty for deserting Lea and the others. So… I returned. When I entered, I could see some of the guards making a big fuss, probably over a new prisoner. And you know the rest."

Link nodded. "I'm glad you made the right choice," he smiled. Hieke grinned back, blushing lightly at the compliment. "Is this it?" she asked, looking through the large hollow tunnel they had stopped at. Link nodded again in assent and led her inside. They came out on one of the higher levels of Goron City. Link turned to Hieke. "Ready to find yourself another Guardian Spirit?" he smiled. Hieke returned the grin and jumped down to the bottom level of the city in a single leap.

"Big deal!" Link yawned as he leaped down equally as agilely. Hieke huffed just slightly, a little peeved that she shared talents with her companion. "Is it always this quiet?" she asked, changing the unspoken subject. Link shook his head as he glanced around, as though looking for something. "No," he said hesitantly. "The last time it was this quiet was when Volvagia had all the Gorons locked up in the Fire Temple."

Hieke chewed on her lower lip for a short time, then knocked on one of the stone doors. "Is anyone there?" she called as she searched for a mechanism to open the door. Link studied the slate thoughtfully. "It's locked," he concluded. "Hello in there! This is Link, friend and Sworn Brother to the Gorons! Open up, please!"

There came the muffled and inaudible conference of a few gruff voices, then the door slid open with the sound of stone grinding against stone. Hieke peeked in nervously as Link entered the fire-lit chamber. There was a large Goron with a rather angular head standing in front of a strange statue. Many other Gorons littered the area, lounging lazily on the plush carpets.

"Brother! Long time no see!" the large Goron smiled. Link held out his hand in greeting. "Nice to see you too, Darunia," he said as his obvious friend take the hand and shook it heartily.

The assumed Darunia turned to Hieke with a wide grin. "Finally got someone for yourself, eh Brother?" he said jokingly. Hieke turned to study some tapestries on the walls and pretended that she didn't hear Darunia's comment. Link rolled his eyes. "Now's not the time for that," he objected. "Do you know anything about the Guardian Spirit of Fire?"

Darunia did a bit of "hmm"-ing and eventually came up short. "Sorry, Brother. Never heard of it. But if fire's your thing, why not check out the Fire Temple?" he suggested as he moved out of the way and pulled the large statue, revealing a secret entrance.

Link gave his thanks and led Hieke towards the rocky passageway. "Wait, Brother!" one of the Gorons said as he leaped to his feet. "It's hot in there! A pair of soft-skins like you can't go in there without one of our specialty heat-resistant tunics."

Link smacked his forehead as he remembered that aspect of the Fire Temple. It was incredibly hot in there and he needed protection in order to proceed. "Do you have any tunics to lend us?" Hieke inquired, tilting her head to a side in a way that made her come off as an innocent child. Link smirked. She was aiming to get the tunics for free. The Goron blushed, an action that was strange in itself. "Well, I suppose I could check the shops," he said with a grin. Hieke smiled cutely, which only made Link all the most amused.

Moments later the Goron returned and delicately placed a pair of crimson tunics in Hieke's hands. She gave him one last smile, then turned to Link and handed him one of the garments. He quickly tossed the shirt on over his Kokiri Tunic. Hieke, on the other hand, first took off her orange jacket and set it down in Darunia's room for safe-keeping. She then scampered through the entrance to the Death Mountain Crater.

Link paused in front of Darunia. "Why were you all locked up in here?" he asked with concern in his cerulean eyes. The Goron stared off into space. "The Mountain is dying," he stated coldly. "All our resources are dissipating, right down to the bomb flowers. The rocks we once ate without fear of depletion are dwindling. Not only that, but it is growing increasingly cold. It even went as far as to snow where Biggoron is! Snow! On a volcano! Something is definitely wrong…"

"Don't worry," Link assured. "I know exactly what's going on. Hieke and I will fix it." It wasn't a lie, either. There was no doubt in his mind that the cause was the capture of the Guardian Spirit of Fire. Without this spirit, slowly all the warmth in Hyrule would die away, causing a perpetual winter. Such a thing could not be allowed to happen. Link ran into the Crater, calling for Hieke to wait.

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Next chapter: The search for the Fire Spirit! Okay, so it's NEXT chapter where things start to heat up (pun not intended). R&R, please. As usual, five reviews to the update. Just let me remind you that if at any point you encounter an error or even just a sentence that doesn't make sense, please tell me and I'll correct it as soon as I feel like it. XP Also... I need a more interesting summary so more people will read it... Any ideas? I'll credit you if I use your summary! Thanks for the reviews, all, and review more if you want Chapter 6!


	6. Let the Dragon Eat the Zoran King

Reviews! Reviews! It's time to reply!

Dragon-Charmer16: Thanks so much for the cookies and the review! Here's your update! And congratulations on being first to review again! It's nice to know that I'm already on so many favorites lists, even though this is my first fiction. By the way, you're on my lists too!

Lil-dragon-blue: Hmm… good point. I didn't think about that. Well, I updated my profile to say that critique is accepted; no, it's appreciated. I only ask that you guys be polite, polite meaning no yelling at me or cursing at me, please! That stuff makes me feel bad and might delay the update… (By the way, you'll probably like the next chapter, considering your disdain towards Ruto… mweeheeheeeheehee!)

Jana+Anthony: Actually, I wrote a book once with the intent to publish, but I never finished the book. Got around to page 57 or so and just lost interest… maybe I'll finish it someday. Also, when you say "UPDATE ASAP", it's really not in _my_ power how long it takes to update. After all, I only request five reviews for each update! Which I suppose means I owe you all another chapter, since last time I had a good 10+ reviews. Um… Heh… ;

He who still does not log in: Yeah, I remember you. I wondered where you went! Heh, not to brag or anything… (Link: cough, cough) …but I got As in English for years! In fact, when I was in kindergarten I would write miniature books for show and tell. I'm such a nerd… u u;

Lil-Miaka: Thank you. And I'd be more than happy to review your story! I think was about to do it a while go, but something came up…

Enough stalling! ONTO THE STORY!

**Chapter 6: Let the Dragon Eat the Zoran King!**

"Oh, it's so hot!" Hieke complained for the thousandth time. In fact, that was all she ever said anymore. Every time she opened her mouth it was to comment on the heat. Link was only getting hotter listening to such talk. "I'm hot," Hieke prattled on again. "Really hot. Too hot. What if I pass out? What if I die? What if I'm engulfed into fiery oblivion?"

"You'd save _me_ a headache, that's what," Link growled under his breath. Hieke looked at him with a glare of death. "You say something?" she asked with a deadly poison in her voice. Link chuckled nervously, waving her off. _That was too close_, he thought, his heart racing. _She'd have killed me on the spot!_

After a few more minutes of walking and listening to Hieke's griping, they came upon the entrance to the Fire Temple. Hieke obviously hadn't already determined that the Fire Spirit was captured as well, for she went through the same routine she did at the Forest Temple.

"This is Hieke, formerly known as Tadaka, calling to the Fire Spirit!"

An image of a small wingless dragon appeared atop a nearby boulder. "Lady Tadaka!" it exclaimed in a whispy voice that reminded Link of a puff of ash. "It is most horrible! I have been captured by an ice demon that wishes to smite the world with an eternal winter! But you are in the wrong place! Please… come for me before… my life is drained away…!"

Hieke watched with horror as the image of the serpentine dragon fell limp and faded into the heat. Link put a comforting hand on her shoulder upon seeing how aghast she was. "He didn't even say where to look for him," she breathed as she fought away tears of fear for the Fire Spirit.

Link contemplated for a few minutes. "He said a demon of ice, did he not?" he reminded. "Sounds like Ice Cavern to me!"

Hieke gave Link an appreciative smile. "Thank goddesses you're here. By the time I thought of that, he'd probably be dead," she giggled as she followed the departing Hylian hero. It was a long way to Ice Cavern.

They made their way back through the Lost Woods and located the entrance to the Zora Domain. "Oh, we have to d-dive?" Hieke asked timidly. Link grinned. "Of course. The Zoras are an aquatic people," he replied simply. "You aren't afraid of water, are you?"

Putting her pride first, Hieke shook her head and stepped closer to the water's edge. Having grown up in Gerudo Valley, she never really got all that close to water. The nearest water source was the gorge at the entrance to the Fortress, a steep drop in which you could fall for hours before reaching the water at the bottom. She had been taught to fear water to keep her away from that perilous gorge. Now she had to overcome years of incessant lectures in the name of Hyrule.

Link was already in the water up to his neck. He kicked his feet slowly to stay afloat. "Come on, Hieke!" he called as he took a deep breath of air and submerged. Afraid of being alone in the labyrinth called the Lost Woods, Hieke tensed her shoulders and summoned all the courage she had. She put both her feet in the water, then gradually progressed until her feet slid out from under her on a steep drop. She uttered a cry of surprise before plummeting into the icy waters. Immediately the Hylian girl emerged and took a few large gulps of air. She wiped some of the water away from her eyes and dove again, trying her hardest to keep Link in sight.

When they finally reached the end of the tunnel, they were in a water-filled grotto to the right of a massive waterfall. Hieke scrambled onto dry land as soon as she was able. Link climbed out shortly after, laughing at his friend. "You look like a wet cat," he snickered. A glower from Hieke shut him up quite nicely.

"Where to now?" she asked as she tried to wring out the excess water from her long braid. Link pointed at the waterfall with a smirk. Hieke stared for a short while, thinking he was going to say that he was only kidding. When that didn't happen, she had to ask. "You must be joking me," she said unbelievingly. "How do we get through that? We'll be pulverized!"

Link reached into his pocket and gasped, then remembered that he had given his ocarina to Hieke. "Let me see that pipe thing," he requested, his hand outstretched and awaiting the item. Hieke pulled the Pipe of Ages from her jacket and handed it to Link. The boy put his lips to the instrument and played Zelda's Lullaby, a multifunctional song that had served him well many times before. The waterfall, miraculously, ceased its flow. He returned the pipe to Hieke for safekeeping and hopped across the gap where the waterfall once blocked the way and gestured for his young friend to do the same.

Hieke approached the ledge confidently and jumped across, but misjudged the distance and started falling. Link grabbed her hand before she fell past his reach and hauled her up onto the ledge.

"Thanks," Hieke smiled, "but it was only a two foot fall."

Link blushed. He had fallen time and time again during that leap and the only injury he ever got was an ambush by a Gold Skulltula waiting under the rock path overhead. And that Skulltula was long since dead. _Of course, the dead can come back to life_, he reminded himself. _That's why we're on this quest…_

They ran across the winding trail that snaked its way through Zora Domain until they came across the a wide, well-illuminated chamber with a bloated fish thing sitting on a throne of ice. "Oh my goddesses! It's so hideous!" Hieke exclaimed. Link clamped his hand over her mouth and gave King Zora a nervous smile.

"That is the king of the Zora Domain!" he hissed. "Be respectful!"

Hieke peeked past Link for only a moment, then shut her eyes tightly and uttered a sound of pure disgust. "It's so… intolerable!" she whispered. Link chucked with a bit of a grin. "Wait until you see his daughter," he warned. Hieke shook her head, not wanting to know any more than she absolutely had to.

"King Zora!" Link said with a flourish as he tried not to puke in his own mouth. "We have come seeking passage into Zora's Fountain!"

"On what grounds?" the king asked in a nasally voice choked with bubbles. Hieke cringed and shuddered. "You may have noticed it getting increasingly colder," Link replied. "This is a result of an important creature being held prisoner in the Ice Cavern, a place which is only accessible by means of Zora's Fountain. If this creature is allowed to continue this way, it will die and all of Hyrule will be cast into infinite winter!"

_Among other things_, Hieke mused grimly. A little chilly weather was the least of their problems. Every moment they were stalled was another moment Ganon had to revive.

"Very well," King Zora answered after a moment of intense contemplation. That or a moment of intense gas. Hieke noticed that the room was beginning to reek of decomposed sea vegetation. Link grabbed Hieke's hand and quickly dragged her past King Zora and into the Zora's Fountain.

"When we find the Fire Spirit, let's feed King Zora to him," Hieke suggested.

Link grinned evilly. "Ruto first…"

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Coming next chapter: Introducing Princess Ruto and the kidnappers of the Fire Spirit! You'll never guess who took the Spirit...

By the way, if you have a story that you want reviewed, tell me in your reviews and I'll try to get around to reviewing it. Keeping up with reviewer responses is more trouble than I bargained for... x.X

Also, since I feel that I owe you a chapter for giving me so many reviews on Chapter 4, I'm only requesting… TWO REVIEWS until I update. This time. Don't get used to it…


	7. Change of Plans: Feed Ruto to the Dragon

(Is eating candy) All righty! I only requested two reviews for the last chapter, so here's mah replies!

Jana+Anthony: Yep, two reviews is all I asked. So here's the update!

Dragon-Charmer16: Well, I don't want to _hurt_ Ruto (coughyesIdocough), but I'll do everything in my power to insult her! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Now, onto Ice Cavern!

Jana: Hello and HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU REVIEW A SECOND TIME FOR THE SAME CHAPTER, YOU STALKER!

That's all for the replies! Now let's get goin'!

**Chapter 7: Change of Plans: Feed Ruto to the Dragon**

"What in the name of all that is good, sweet, and pure is that monstrosity!" Hieke shouted as she pointed to the center of the fountain.

"That's Jabu Jabu, the Zoran god," Link explained.

"What, the fish? I'm talking about that naked, large-headed… _thing_!"

Link couldn't help himself. He laughed aloud until his stomach was sore. Unfortunately, all his laughter caught the attention of a certain naked, large-headed thing named Princess Ruto.

"Linky!" she exclaimed as she dashed over and latched onto Link's arm. "I thought you were never going to come back! But I should have known better! You'd never leave your bride behind, would you, Linky?" she drawled in a high-pitched voice that would easily be enough to break glass.

"Ooh, make it stop!" Hieke pleaded. "My ears are bleeding! And my eyes… goddesses, my eyes! I think they're oozing green pus! Oh, I'm nauseous!" Ruto scowled at the Hylian girl, contorting her revolting face all the more.

"Linky, sweetheart, why are you with this tramp?" Ruto asked in as sweet a voice as was possible for a fish girl. Her eyes were wide and shiny and her lower lip puckered out a bit. She looked as though she was ready to be gutted and filleted. Link smiled at the thought. He _did_ have that Kokiri sword with him… And who would miss her anyway?

Hieke saw the murderous spark in his eyes and put a controlling hand on his shoulder. "The Fire Spirit," she reminded, her normally fervent amber eyes clouded with sorrow and concern for the small dragon. Link nodded.

"We'll have to ki-I mean, talk to you later, Ruto. We have business to take care of," he stated emotionlessly as he led Hieke towards a cave entrance. The Hylian girl, ignoring Ruto's shrill calls of protest, wondered if that cave was the Ice Cavern. It was a reasonable presumption, considering that the cave itself formed into a large iceberg. The stable ground cut away, leaving a lake of icy water with several floes dotting the surface. The assumed Ice Cavern was on the other side of this body of water.

"Now what?" Hieke asked. Link gave her a short smile, then went hopping across the sections of ice nimbly. He paused and waved for Hieke to do the same. "It's easy!" he called. "Just don't think about falling in!"

Hieke hesitated only slightly. She could jump fairly well, so she should be fine. The Gerudo warrior summoned up her courage and started leaping from floe to floe, trying to keep up with Link. She eventually reached the same chunk of ice where he had obviously paused to wait for his companion to catch up.

"This is the big jump," Link warned and gestured to the space between the ice they were standing on and the cave entrance. "You have to have really good judgment, else you may end up in that freezing water." He took a few steps back to get a running start and jumped to the ledge upon which the Ice Cavern rested. He grasped at the slippery ice with both hands and hauled his body out of the frigid waters. Hieke's confidence drained away. If the Hero of Time had this kind of trouble…

"Come on, you can do it!" Link encouraged. He held his arms outstretched to catch Hieke should she miss the ledge. She moved to get a running start like Link did, but when she was in midair, Ruto emerged from the water and blocked her. Hieke fell into the water with a shout.

"Linky! I got rid of that freeloader for you!" she squeaked boastfully. Link rolled his eyes and leaned over the ledge, reaching for Hieke. The Hylian girl took his hands gratefully and scrambled onto the ice, shivering. Ruto pouted angrily.

"Why are you being so mean to your future bride?" she huffed. Hieke finally gave way to her curiosity. "What in the world is she blithering on about?" she asked as she shot Ruto a glare. The Zoran scoffed in disgust and returned the scowl.

"She gave me the Spiritual Stone of Water a long time ago. No biggie. But because of that, she feels I owe her something _other_ than having saved all of Hyrule from oblivion," he explained with a hint of annoyance. "Linky!" Ruto whined. "I told you that only the man I was to marry would get the Zoras' Sapphire! So why don't you just give in already? Besides, you know you find me irresistible!"

The small Zoran struck a pose, still half-submerged in the frigid waters. Link and Hieke burst with laughter. The Hylian hero stood and entered the Ice Cavern, still laughing. Hieke followed in a similar condition. Ruto stared after them with either a dumbfounded, or just plain dumb, look on her face.

"I think that was a little mean," Hieke commented when she finished with her laughing fit. Link shook his head. "It wasn't mean enough," he mumbled. Hieke giggled.

"So, what's the evil monster in this place? And how many are there?" the ex-Gerudo asked curiously. Link shrugged. "Last time it was a White Wolfos, but I think something stronger than that will be guarding the Fire Spirit," he replied simply. He had his arms folded behind his neck and was cradling his head on his intertwined fingers. Hieke sighed and glanced around the chamber.

"It's cold," she said after a long period of silence. Link stumbled, catching himself just before he fell onto the icy floor. "Of course it's cold!" he shouted. "It's called 'Ice Cavern' for a reason! That's why it's not called 'Sunny Meadows Cavern' or something!"

A few more moments of stillness befell the questing duo. "Well, of course not," Hieke eventually responded. "For one thing, a cavern can't be sunny because it's cut off from the sun by walls. That's what makes it a cavern. Also-"

Link groaned loudly in frustration. Hieke, embarrassed, studied the walls for a while longer. Absent-mindedly she wondered why Link was in such a foul mood. Soon enough she decided to ask. "Is something wrong?" she inquired submissively. Link shook his head.

"I just have some bad associations with this cavern, that's all."

"Like what?"

"Nothing that has any importance now..."

Hieke pondered the words with great interest. What was in the Ice Cavern that was enough to freak out Link? Ruto was _outside_ the cavern, after all. They soon came upon a puzzling room with a few large bricks of ice and several mist-covered holes. Hieke gazed down one of the holes and threw a small hunk of ice into it. She never heard it collide with the bottom. Link shuddered when he laid eyes upon the puzzle at hand. He had hoped the first time that he'd _never_ have to solve this puzzle again...

"Yeeheehee! We're surprised you made it this far! Isn't that right, Koume?"

"Yeeheehee! It most certainly is, Kotake!"

Link froze where he was. He would recognize that cackling laughter anywhere. "Twinrova," he growled. Hieke studied his expression for a moment or so. It appeared as though he had something personal against the new enemies.

"Oh my, Koume! Look who it is!"

"Why, if it isn't Little Tadaka, Nabooru's friend!"

Hieke formed her hands into fists, her shoulders tensed. Now _she_ also had something against them. But who were they that knew her Gerudo name, as well as her relationship with Nabooru? A pair of witches appeared in a flash of blue and red, each upon an enchanted broomstick. They cackled more when they saw Hieke and Link. The Hylian hero unsheathed his sword and readied a shinier shield, despite the fact that it was nearly too big for him to carry.

Hieke reached for the pendant around her neck but found it gone. She cursed under her breath. She had forgotten that she used the pendant to turn Link's ocarina into the Pipe of Ages. That left the Gerudo warrior helpless!

_No way!_ she shouted to herself. _I'm not going to let Link do this alone!_

"I call to the moon and stars! Grant me thy glory!" she called, extending her arms to the ceiling. A white light shimmered around her hands and a sword of soft luminescence formed in her clenched fists. She sliced the air in a testing blow and smirked, satisfied with the results of her summoning.

Twinrova stared, speechless. "Koume! She has the Celestial Gift!" the red witch exclaimed. "I'm not blind, Kotake!" the blue witch sneered. "Nor am I stupid. If we are to defeat these two as our orders demand, we'll have to combine!"

The two nodded at each other and started spinning around in swift circles. They soon became one witch with the power of fire in one hand and the power of ice in the other. Hieke twirled her new sword across her fingers and lunged. Link, not wanting to be the stand-by, joined her assault.

Twinrova dodged Hieke's attack and shot a blast of flame her way. Link canceled his own strike to cover his companion with the Mirror Shield. Hieke smiled in appreciation for the gesture and started a furious barrage of attacks. Twinrova was too occupied with blocking to make a counter-attack… or to notice that Link had slowly made his way across the floor until he was standing directly behind the combined witches.

"Boo!" he shouted triumphantly as his sword landed a powerful blow on Twinrova's back. She uttered a cry of pain and whipped around, knocking Link backwards and towards one of the infinitely-deep holes. He grabbed onto the ledge at the last moment and dangled there, slowly slipping with the very ice he held onto melting away at his touch.

"Link!" Hieke exclaimed and ran over to help him. Twinrova laughed loudly and threw a blast of ice at the girl. It hit in her in the back, causing her stumble forward. Her feet slipped on the slick floor and she fell just in front of one of the holes. She cautiously scampered across the floor and hauled Link out of the pit before he slipped.

"Ready, Hieke?"

"But of course!"

The remainder of the battle was comprised of a relentless teamwork effort that left Twinrova wondering what had happened. She split back into Koume and Kotake. The squawking witches began to squabble over the cause of their defeat.

"Koume! If you weren't so slow with your ice…!"

"Me and my ice? How about you and your fire!"

"You can't pin this on me! I had nothing to do with it!"

"Perhaps if you had helped a little, we would have won!"

"Perhaps if you'd both _shut up_!" Hieke commanded. She threw her light sword at them like a spear with deadly accuracy. The blade passed through them both completely. Koume and Kotake disappeared in a din of ear-splitting shrieks.

"Ooh, gruesome!" Link chuckled. "Wish I could do that to Ruto!"

They were interrupted by a gentle warmth that overcame them. Hieke turned around and stared joyously at the small serpentine dragon resting upon one of the ice blocks. "Lady Tadaka," he breathed weakly with a dragonly grin.

Hieke smiled in relief that the Fire Spirit was still alive and held the creature in her arms. "We must return him to the Fire Temple," she announced. Link nodded and moved to leave the chamber, but paused before he left the room. "Hieke, I want you to explain yourself once the dragon is safe," he said, facing away from his travel companion. "I want to know about this so-called 'Celestial Gift'. And… I want to know if I can trust you."

"You can trust me," Hieke promised. "But I _do_ admit that I neglected to explain a lot of things…"

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Did I mix them up? Koume is the one with ice and Kotake is the one with fire, right? Umm... if you correct me, I probably won't change it since I'm such a lazy bum.

So? Do you like it? _I_ like it. But, of course, I wrote it so... my opinion is pointless. If you are really, truly enjoying this fic, tell me so in your review. If you don't like, please either tell me why or don't review.

...wait, no! Please give me your reviews! I don't care what they say! Five reviews and I update! Only five! And there are only nine chapter left… That's only… ; That's a minimum of 40 reviews left, not counting the last chapter.


	8. Onward

Okay! Reviewer responses (this could be long)!

Jana+Anthony: Ohh… that explains it. Thanks for reviewing!

Lil-dragon-blue: First off, you get an uber-cookie for being the first to give me any critique. (give an uber-cookie) Nextly, here's my replies: This chapter is pretty humorous, in my opinion, and the next chapter is basically the best in the whole fic. I know the humor dies at times, but I really couldn't think of another genre that would fit. Besides, I have a few of those magical fairies, so the humor will come back at random times. Unfortunately, I kind of… let's say I ran out of fairies in the last two chapters… It has kind of an emotionally disappointing ending, which is why I want to write a sequel. I noticed the plot-holes, too. XP I didn't know how else to get them out of the Gerudo Valley jail cell, so a bomb it was. Besides, Hieke has… (coughspecialpowerscough). Yeah. ; ACK! I'm sorry! So sorry! I didn't even think about that story while I was writing this! I'm so sorry! And finally, yeah I've done some random stories like that before (that aren't online). They're good for a laugh, but don't have much of a plot. That's what I like about your Mix the Worlds story: it's humorous and has a good plot to it! Phew… now _that_ was long. Thanks for reviewing, though!

Lil-dragon-blue: I tried to think of something to put with the witches but came to the conclusion that they're just too corny for good humor. XP (Basically, I couldn't think of anything either.) Actually, there's no rushing involved at all. This story is totally done and has been totally done for about a week. There are a total of sixteen chapters, but I want five reviews each! (Except that other one, but that's only because I got so many reviews in Chapter 4.) And… here's the next chapter for ya!

Dragon-Charmer16: XD You're reviews are always so interesting! Here's my update, and I'll be waiting for yours!

I wanna monkey: -blink- Umm… but there was… already a scene with a monkey… (ish depressed now)

Well, I guess majority rules and I'll give you guys the next chapter. Here it is.

**Chapter 8: Onward**

"Thank you so very much, Lady Tadaka," the dragon hissed. "Had you not come along when you did, I surely would have expired within the hour."

Hieke grinned at the Fire Spirit, happy that he was all right. "Please, my name is Hieke. I left the name of Tadaka behind when I learned of the transgressions of my people. Would you tell me your name?"

The dragon smirked. "What have you done to deserve knowledge of my name?" he asked.

"We saved your life, that's what!" Link interrupted. Hieke put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "He's right," she agreed. The dragon slithered around on the hot stone thoughtfully. "It was indeed a gesture of loyalty," he mused. "Very well. My name is Sear."

Hieke nodded. "Sear, then. I need your help, oh great Guardian Spirit of Fire."

Sear laughed roughly. "You need not be so formal, Lady Hieke!" he advised. Hieke grinned in slight embarrassment. She started over again. "Sear, will you help us? The evil king Ganondorf is going to be resurrected if we don't we have your help in locating the Amulet of the Epochs. Rose, the Spirit of the Forest, told us that we'd also require a certain song played on the Pipe of Ages. If you can aid us in any of the above described areas, we'd be most grateful."

"Bah! That Ganon is so full of himself. How dare he return from his grave like that?" Sear growled as he expelled a puff of ash from his snout. "I'd be more than happy to aid in your cause, my lady. If you seek information about the song, I suggest you speak to Acarsis, the Water Spirit."

"Thank you very much," Hieke said with a bow. "If you would be as kind as to tell us of Acarsis' location, we'd be all the more indebted." Sear shook his head.

"Acarsis is not in this age. You'll have to use the power of the Pipe of Ages to find her. If you should find her, I wish you the best of luck. Acarsis is not nearly as cooperative as myself."

"Thank you again," Hieke said. "Link, let's get going. You heard the dragon." She started off towards the exit, and this time it was Link's turn to follow. When they were out of the Death Mountain Crater, the hero decided it was time for Hieke to explain herself.

"Spill it, Hieke," he said as they descended the mountain. "Why do all the Spirits seem to know you as 'Lady Tadaka'? And what did Twinrova mean when she said that you have the Celestial Gift? And what's with these weird powers of yours? And who are you really? How can I trust you when you have all these secrets kept from me?"

"My name is Hieke. That and Tadaka are the only names I know," Hieke began. "You can trust me because I'm doing a good thing for Hyrule and I'm helping you keep Ganon in his grave. The Celestial Gift is the ability to draw power from the stars. The Moon Pendant is the material manifestation of these powers. The Spirits probably know me because… well, maybe I've met them before. I don't have much of a memory from before Lea found me. I don't even know if I'm really a Hylian. That's just what Princess Zelda said…"

Link looked into the sky. "Thank you," he muttered. "For trusting me enough to tell me those things, I mean. I can tell you didn't really want me to know."

Hieke gave her companion an apologetic smile. "So… The Temple of Light is where we go to skip to the future, right?" she presumed. Link nodded, laughing at her choice of words. "Isn't the Light Temple probably the location of the Light Spirit?" Hieke said as she wondered why in the world Link was laughing.

"Oh!" Link exclaimed. "That's right! Cool! We can get one of the Guardian Spirits while on our way to get another. I wonder which other spirits are in the future?" With their cause for reaching Hyrule Castle Town now doubly important, they sprinted the rest of the way down the mountain and through Kakariko. When they reached Hyrule Field, they accidentally engaged a Peahat in battle.

The flower-pot monster detached itself from the ground and hovered after them with surprising speed. Link steadied his slingshot, preparing to shoot down the miniature Peahats that he knew would be coming after them shortly. As soon as the tiny monsters appeared, Link fired his Deku seeds mercilessly until they were all slain.

Meanwhile, Hieke had summoned her sword of light. Dodging the dangerous rotating blades, she thrust her sword upwards and penetrated the delicate roots of the Peahat. The creature gurgled in pain and retreated to whence it came. "Nice job," Link complimented. "But couldn't you have just killed it?" Hieke rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

They had been lucky so far. They had managed to escape all their conflicts with little to no injury. Eventually their luck would surely change… Link contemplated this as he and Hieke entered the market area. It was a noisy and bustling place with large crowds fighting over products and bargain-hunters running back and forth. The young hero pointed at a structure in the distance. It looked like a church.

"That's the Temple of… well, I thought it was light, but it may be time," Link said. Had he really forgotten so much? "Either way," Hieke said, interrupting his thoughts, "we should find a Spirit there. I think Zelda is the Sage of Time. I know the Sage of Cross-Dressing makes more sense, but…"

Link nodded with a grin. "Let's go!" he beamed and ran towards the church. Hieke followed, avoiding the random pedestrians as best she could. She slowed herself when she entered the cathedral. Some text displayed out of no where that read, "Temple of Time." Hieke stared at the white letters curiously for a while, then they faded away. Link was standing beside a large emblem of the Triforce plastered onto the floor. He gestured that Hieke hurry up and 'do her thing'.

The Hylian girl smiled with a slight nod and stood in the center of the emblem. "I, Lady Hieke, formerly known as Tadaka, call to thee, the Spirit of Time!" she summoned. A blue light glowed softly at her feet. Out of the light came a cream-colored rabbit with a pocket watch dangling around its neck. "Lady… Hieke?" it squeaked. "Why did you change your name?"

Hieke waved off the query. "Certainly you know of the peril that threatens Hyrule," she said. The rabbit nodded. "As the Guardian Spirit of Time, I can see far into the future. But it is obscure. I cannot see whether good or evil will prevail. However, I _do_ know for sure that if he is allowed to resurrect, Ganondorf will come to this age to reap his revenge on the Hero of Time," she explained in a solemn tone.

"By what name should we call you?" Link asked as he crouched to get a better look at the small Spirit. "I am Niffy-poots!" she said cheerfully. Link and Hieke both stared, their eyes wide. The rabbit giggled. "Not really," she assured. "My name is Kanika. Lady Hieke and Sir Link, please do you best to consult Acarsis about the song you must learn. You see, there was a great contradiction over who should be keeper of the holiest of melodies. So, we based the results on a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. We didn't know at the time, but Acarsis can read minds. So… we all lost horribly."

Hieke raised an eyebrow. "O…kay. So then, how to we get to the future to meet Acarsis?" she asked, wondering why such divine entities knew how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Kanika snuffled at Hieke's pocket and poked at it until the Pipe of Ages fell out. She picked the instrument up in her tiny paws and put it in Hieke's hand. "Play the Song of Time on that and you will be sent to a corresponding location in the future. If you play it in the future, you'll be sent back to this era," she illustrated. Hieke nodded.

"So… what's the Song of Time?" she asked. Link raised his hand and exclaimed, "_I_ know the Song of Time! Pick me! Me! Me!"

"Link," Hieke called with a blank expression.

"Okay, it goes like this!" Link said as he took the Pipe from Hieke and played the song. He expected to be sent to the future, but nothing happened. "What's going on?" he pouted. "I believe _I_ have to play the song for it to work, since the Pipe is made from my magical pendant," Hieke said with a smirk, taking the Pipe back. "Good thing I'm a fast learner. I know exactly how the song goes now!"

She drew in a deep breath and played… the Teletubbies theme song?

"What in the name of the goddesses was _that_!" Link shouted in horror. Hieke giggled nervously, her face red in mortification. "Darned cable TV," she muttered, then played the Song of Time. A circle of blue light enveloped them.

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Just don't... ask about the Teletubbies, okay?

Ooh, next chapter they meet Acarsis the Water Spirit! She's my favorite, just because she's so freakin' weird. Mmhm... Acarsis and her word games... If you wanna read it, give me... _three thousand reviews_! MUAHAHAHAHA!

No, seriously. Five will cut it. Just five more... I refuse to update until I have mah reviews!


	9. Da Footcher!

Response time!

Jana+Anthony: NO! I do _not_! I don't even know how the theme song goes! And… it's "Uh-**CAR**-sis." Here's your update.

Dragon-Charmer16: AAAAAAH! PLUSHIES! (huggles plushies) I should seriously make some plushies! And… I'm working on my own little website that's companion to this fiction right now. I'm making it for the explicit purpose of posting pictures of Hieke and the other Spirits. And you hurry up with your updates, too! But not too quickly, otherwise they'll have a rushed feel to them. YAY, PLUSHIES!

Gina: Yes, dancing monkey indeed…

Gina: No, the dragon can't die. He's a Spirit! However, there is kind of a sad ending…

Gina: Few people _really_ like Ruto, I think. Even less like King Zora!

Lil-dragon-blue: Uh… heh. You see, my original summary included the phrase "rated for morbidness and words with more than three syllables." XP Sorry, I'm just a total nerd! And yes, I really am fourteen. I just happen to… (coughreadthethesauruscough) If you liked the humor in that chapter… hoo boy, will you like this one…

That's the replies! Now onto Chapter 9, my personal favorite!

**Chapter 9: Da Footcher!**

"Oh… man, my head hurts. Link…? Where are you?"

Hieke opened her eyes and looked around for her young companion, but instead found a much older version of him. "Dude!" she exclaimed. "Look at you! Before it was all like pasty elf-boy flesh! Now it's like mondo-gorilla guy!"

The older Link grumbled in embarrassment. "And I could say a few things about your body structure as well, namely an area between your neck and your stomach," he threatened. Hieke pressed her lips together and held her tongue. She stood up from the cold marble floor and brushed herself off. She took a moment to study her older self. Her leather boots were still in place, as well as her shirt, jacket, and skirt. Now she had pale orange leggings that halted at mid-thigh, the same place where her skirt (now considerably shorter) stopped. Her jacket terminated halfway down her torso. Her white shirt still fit well, though. And her hair, as long as it was before, now touched the floor.

Link smiled at her. "Acarsis, remember?" he reminded, then turned and made for the door. Hieke followed, wondering what the Guardian Spirit of Water would be like. Sear had made her out to be too stubborn for her own good.

"Oh, crap!" Hieke shouted when they were in the market. "We forgot to ask where Acarsis is!"

Link was more preoccupied with the fact that there were no ReDeads wandering around. All the people were normal and happy. _It's because Ganon is still locked away_, he told himself. Then Hieke's shouting, jumping, and thrashing about caught his attention. "Hmm?" he said airily. His companion repeated her inquiry in frustration.

"Oh… I'm sure someone in Zora Realm will know," he replied with a shrug. Link hadn't really wondered what the future was like since the Seven Sages banished Ganondorf to the Evil Realm. It was actually a very beautiful place with Ganon out of the picture, but should they fail in preventing the Evil King's rise…

He clenched his hands into fists. Now that he'd seen the future that waited for him, Link would _not_ allow himself to fail. As Hieke once said, it was a quest 'for the sake of Hyrule and all who inhabit it'. Failure was most certainly not an option. "Let's look in the Zora Fountain," Link suggested, suppressing the anger from his voice. Hieke nodded, though she could feel the fury behind his words.

The trip to Zora Domain was a relatively lengthy one, though Link's mahogany mare Epona made the journey all the shorter. Inside the sparkling Zora Domain, everyone was in a fuss over something. Link pulled one of the Zoras aside in an attempt to get some information out of him. "What's the uproar all about?" he asked in a soothing tone.

"I-it's… Th-there's this little girl in the Zora Fountain, and she keeps threatening the King! Not only that, she says that she won't leave until we win a contest of wits against her!" the frightened Zora stuttered. Link released him and made for the king's chamber. "Looks like we found our Spirit," he muttered with a smirk.

They reached the Zora Fountain in no time. Where Jabu Jabu had once rested, there was now a large iceberg. And sitting atop the iceberg was a small child with white skin which was mottled with blue smears. A fin protruded from either arm like flowing sleeves. Her cerulean hair was ear-length and her eyes were gray with what appeared to be depression. She wore a simple blue dress, sleeveless and halting at her knees. Apart from that, no other clothing was evident.

"Acarsis, it is I, Lady Hieke, formerly known as Lady Tadaka," Hieke introduced with a bow. "I have come to ask for you assistance in a war against the revival of the ultimate manifestation of evil and darkness. We would be honored if you could-"

"You will play a game with me," Acarsis interrupted. Hieke raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" she asked. The small Water Spirit took a few steps toward Link and pointed an accusing finger at him. "No, _you_ will play with me," she said. Link stared at the girl skeptically. Hieke shrugged.

"You heard the girl," she said as she sat down to watch. Link looked horrified.

"What game?"

"How much wood would a wood-chuck chuck if a wood-chuck would chuck wood?"

"What…?"

"Now it's your turn."

"Uh, umm… She sells seashells by the seashore?"

"Amateur. If you stick a stock of liquor in your locker, it is slick to stick a lock upon your stock, or some joker who is slicker's going to trick you out of your liquor, if you fail to lock your liquor with a lock."

"T-toy boat, toy boat, toy boat, toy boat, toy boat, toy boat."

"If a three-month truce is a truce in truth, is the truth of a truce in a truth a three-month truce?"

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers…?"

"You aren't even trying! The skunk sat on a stump; the skunk thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk."

"But… 'thunk' isn't a word…"

"…blast you! Fine, you win," Acarsis said with a sore glare. Hieke tried her very hardest to control her laughter. A bunch of Zorans couldn't defeat this little girl in a word game?

"What do you want?" Acarsis asked, turning to Hieke with the blue flame of defeat still lingering in her eyes. Hieke took a deep breath and hoped that the little nerd wouldn't challenge her to a game as well.

"We've been told that you are the keeper of-"

"-the song used to combine the powers of the Guardian Spirits as a result of a Rock, Paper, Scissors game," Acarsis finished. Hieke and Link nodded in awe. "You really _can_ read minds, can't you?" Link breathed. Acarsis scoffed. "Hardly. That's just what Sear tells everyone who brings it up. He's a sore loser," she explained.

"Oh… then, can you tell us the song?" Hieke repeated. Acarsis paced around on the surface of the ice for a while. Link couldn't see how she could stand it since she was bare-footed. "I suppose I could… Okay, here it is:

_If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!_

(Acarsis clapped twice.)

_If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!_

(She clapped twice once again.)

_If you're happy and you know it and you really wanna show it;_

_If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!_

(Acarsis clapped her hands twice for the last time.)"

Link fell to his knees with his hands clasped to ears and rocked back and forth, screaming bloody-murder. "NOOOOO!" he wailed. "Not that song! Nooooo…!" Hieke and Acarsis stared at the convulsing Hylian legend partially with concern and partially with amusement.

"Jeez, man. Get over yourself. I was only kidding," Acarsis admitted, taking a few steps back. Link's shrieks of terror were replaced by his panting for breath. He stood up and brushed ice from his tunic. "Sorry about that," he apologized formally. "Please continue."

Acarsis cleared her throat. "This is how the song goes. It's called the Song of the Celestials." She began to move her hands about like a conductor. A sweet, flowing melody began playing softly. It took Hieke and Link a while to realize that the sound was a result of Acarsis moving the water and ice beneath them in a certain pattern. Hieke took out her Pipe and put it to her lips. Carefully she listened to the song that the Water Spirit was playing, then she joined. Link closed his eyes and felt the symphony flow through him like a stream.

"Congratulations," Acarsis said, lowering her hands. "You learned the Oath to Order."

"The what?" Link and Hieke asked in unison. Acarsis waved her hands excitedly. "No, no! That was wrong! You learned the Song of the Celestials, not the Oath to Order! We don't need giant walking trees composed of nothing but legs and a head, not to mention a leafy mustache, come running _ever so slowly_ from the four corners of the world to keep the moon from crashing into the town!" The Water Spirit slumped over, out of breath. The traveling duo merely nodded in feigned understanding.

"So… now that you've done that, I guess it's time you go meet with Klikkity-klikkity Wong-wong," Acarsis said with a smirk. "No, what in the frikkin' world is _wrong_ with you spirits!" Hieke blurted as she thrashed her arms about wildly. Link nudged her with his elbow. "You're one to talk, playing the Teletubbies theme song," he reminded. Hieke shot him a murderous glare and turned back to Acarsis.

"I'm sorry," the watery little girl said innocently. "The real name of the Guardian Spirit of Shadow is Frederick."

"Frederick?" Link and Hieke repeated simultaneously. Acarsis nodded. "I'm not kidding…"

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XD Acarsis is mah favorite Spirit... She's too weird! The scary part is that I think she's more based on me than anyone else in this whole fanfiction, Hieke included. Next is a really short chapter, but I still want five reviews if you are to read it! FIVE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER! Why, you ask? Because five times three is fifteen! R&R please!

Note: Due to me being constantly hyped over reviews and updates, from now on I'm going to update once daily. The updates will be up relatively early in the morning so you'll have all day to review. However, the limit is still five! If I wake up and I don't have five reviews, I'm not posting the next chapter until I see FIVE!


	10. You Go That Way, I'll Go This Way

Reviewer response time! And there are quite a few!

Dragon-Charmer16: You've reclaimed your glory of being first to review! (gives a cookie) And I'm almost done with my art website so you can see what Hieke and the other Spirits look like. The song… the song is pure evil. No one will ever be able to escape it's wrath… (shudder) Yayz! More plushies!

Jana+Anthony: Um… I got them out of a book. And Acarsis is my favorite, too.

Jonas: Yep, starting the plot is always good. AND WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE! Chapter 2 was boring as dirt! I almost fell asleep writing it! …glad you guys seem to like it anyway, though.

Maria Lynn: Well, she's not exactly mean, per se. She's just bubbly and hyperactive and impatient. I like Chapter 3, too. It got the humor goin'. Heh, Zelda's just not content being a girl so she has to cross-dress as a guy… Is that what you're thinking?

Gina: Hieke will do anything she has to in order to save the world. You'll see a better display of this quality in the last chapter.

Gina: Well… you can't have one. Because it… isn't real. Yes, bloated fish thing… I can't do any worse than just insults, because I'll probably get flamed… I'm surprised I haven't been flamed yet, except by that guy who said Link should be a monkey, Hieke should be a banana, and Link should eat Hieke… but I'm guessing that was a joke. It sure was funny!

Gina: What was wow about the ending? I don't remember my own writing… (ish confuzzled) And sorry, but you still can't have one.

Gina: I'm not kidding. It's called a Peahat and basically looks like a flower pot with a giant bloom on top and it chases you around all day. Well, it's not _exactly_ white, more like a cream color. And I said nothing about the Teletubbies! Just the theme song…

Gina: That song is the epitome of all the evil thoughts of children… and there are more than you may expect. And the scary thing is that I didn't even try to model Acarsis after myself! Heh… just goes to show: like character, like author. I guess… No, I made that up…

All righty! That's all for the reviews! Now… onto the story!

**Chapter 10: You Go That-a-Way and I'll Go This-a-Way**

"Frederick," Hieke repeated for the thousandth time. This time, Link was keeping count. "Frederick," she said once more, sounding out each syllable carefully. "Personally, I like Klikkity-klikkity Wong-wong better," Link said. He chuckled slightly. "Almost as good as Niffy-poots…"

"What the freak is wrong with these spirits!" Hieke exclaimed in disgust. "They're supposed to represent the all-mighty forces of nature! Now we have the Shadow Spirit, the omniscient and omnipotent force of darkness, named _Frederick_!" Link shrugged. "Maybe Acarsis was just making that up. These Spirits seem awfully prone to telling lies and laughing at them later.

Back at Zora Fountain, Acarsis was laughing her fishy fins off at the lie she told. But that's besides the point…

"You know, we got off easy with the last two Spirits," Link pointed out. "I bet from here on out they'll be guarded by horrible monsters." Hieke nodded in assent. "We've been lucky so far," she commented with a sideways frown. "And you know that saying. 'It'll only get worse before it gets better'…"

The trip to Kakariko was _so_ far, Link started to wonder why they didn't take care of the Shadow Spirit on their way past Kakariko Village when they were leaving Hyrule Castle Town. He cursed repeatedly under his breath. When they did finally reach the village, they were torn between their next destination.

"I want to go to the well!" Hieke stated and started off towards the well. "No!" Link objected. He yanked his friend back by her jacket collar. "The Shadow Spirit will be in the Shadow Temple!"

"But the Water Spirit wasn't in the Water Temple, was she?"

"What does it matter where Acarsis was? This is Frederick!"

"No! Don't call him that! That made-up name sucks!"

"Tell ya what: _I'll_ go to the Shadow Temple and _you_ go to the well. Okay?"

"Fine by me!"

So Hieke stalked off towards the terrifying well of the undead hands and such that latch onto your face and suck out life through your nostrils and eye sockets. Link, on the other hand, when to the horrifying temple of undead mummies and zombies that latch onto your back and suck out your life through your ears and scalp. There was no winner here…

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Man, I _hate_ the well and the Shadow Temple. Undead things make me shudder... and what was with all those rat statues operating giant guillotines (sp?)! They scared me the most... I tried to kill them with Din's Fire. It didn't work.

Next chapter, five reviews. You know the drill! Then you'll see the next chapter tomorrow morning!


	11. Link's Exploration of Shadow Temple

Sorry I'm late… Anyway, onto the responses!

Dragon-Charmer16: First you are! Cookie for you! (give cookie) As for the website, it's almost done. I'll put the link in my profile as soon as I'm finished. Heh… Link could conquer the world if he really wanted to…

Zeldafreak123: Thank you.

CheesefromJupiter: Yeah, the well has a slight lead over the Shadow Temple. For one thing, you can get all the way through the well in about five minutes if you don't care about the lesser treasures. Thanks for reviewing and I loved you story, too!

He who STILL does not log in: It's all right. Just review whenever. Here's your update.

Jana+Anthony: Yeah it was short, no it wasn't that funny… This chapter is a little better. I'm thinking since they're both so short, I should have bunched them together into the same chapter… Whatever.

Lil-dragon-blue: Yes! Clap your hands! NOOOOO! Muahahahahaha! Chapter 9 is my very favorite! I'll try to cut down with the uber vocabulary, but since the whole thing's written… Yeah, well… I'll do my best! And you update soon, too! I can't wait!

Lil-dragon-blue: Yeah, the boat. I forgot about the boat. Once when I was playing that part I didn't beat the Stalfos in time, so they just sank with the boat. Some may call it cheating, but I call it creative problem sloving!

Okay! Now we move on to part one of the search for the Shadow Spirit: Link's Story! R, R, & E! That's read, review, and enjoy for all you slow folk…

**Chapter 11: Link's Exploration of Shadow Temple**

Link took out Din's Fire and struck it, lighting all the neatly arranged torches and knocking a few over. As for the ones that fell, a PA system somewhere said, "Cleanup on aisle seven. Cleanup on aisle seven." Then an underpaid, grumbling teenager with a summer job at the Shadow Temple came through with a broom and dustpan and began to reorganize his TorchNOW display for the twelfth time that day. Trouble is, no one ever even bought any of the spontaneous torch generator. So it was totally moot.

Link paused to read the cryptic language on the door. "Yo quiero beber su sangre," he read haltingly. "I guess that's old Hylian for 'Welcome'." Without a second thought to the strange tongue (cough, cough) inscribed upon the door, he entered the Temple and immediately began his search.

"Uh, this is Link the Hero of Time filling in for Lady Tadaka! Guardian Spirit of Shadow, if you're here, I'd like you to come out so I can rub it in Hieke's face!"

…Silence. Link called out again, but the only response he got was his own echo. _Wait… echo!_ An idea came to him. When he fought himself in Water Temple, Dark Link always made the same moves he made. Like an _echo_! So, if he could move around in a fashion that would position him right in front of the source of the now-obvious Shadow Spirit, he'd have no troubles.

For hours upon hours he tried to move his echo around. Then a different idea came to him. Dark Link moved like a reflection… not an echo.

"Man, am I ever screwed," Link muttered as he made his way to the entrance, where he randomly knocked over a bunch of TorchNOW just for the heck of it. Then he thought to at least make it _look_ good and ran back into the Temple.

He located the nearest ReDead and stood there waiting for it to spot him. He moved around and around it until he looked like a retarded chipmunk chasing its alter ego. "Yo! Mortal flesh here!" he demanded. The ReDead didn't as much as gurgle in that eerie voice that sounds like a bunch of guys having fun in a recording studio.

"Yo!" Link repeated. One of those anime snot-bubbles formed on the ReDead's nonexistent nose. The Hero of Time growled in frustration and smacked the zombie creature with his sword. "Wake up!" he shouted. The ReDead fell over and huddled into a fetal position, sucking its decomposing thumb. Link twitched a little, then left to find another ReDead.

He rounded the corner and caught the slightest glimpse of a white tail running down a neighboring corridor. Curious, Link followed after the creature. There were no monsters with white tails in the Shadow Temple… He ran down the hall, the walls drenched in blood, and strained his eyes to find the creature he spotted earlier.

For hours upon hours he followed his glimpses at the white tail. Eventually it ducked down a hallway that Link knew to have a dead end. With a victorious grin he sprinted down the hall before his prey had a chance to duck back out.

At the end of the corridor. pawing at the wall and looking for an exit, was a young white wolf. It turned to link with serene black eyes. "Who are you?" it asked fearfully. Link crouched in front of it and scratched its ear gently. The wolf titled its head in content.

"My name is Link," he said. "I'm looking for the Guardian Spirit of Shadow."

The wolf nodded. "You have halfway succeeded," it informed. "My name is Jaroku, one of the Shadow Spirits. My brother Jaruko is beneath the Kakariko Well. We are two halves of the same Spirit. Jaruko represents the darkness of Shadow and I represent the light that must be there for Shadow to exist."

Link petted Jaroku down his back. "What do you say we go and find my friend?" he suggested. "She's in the well right now, looking for Jaruko."

Jaroku nodded and led the way to the exit, his white fur shimmering in the torch light. Link followed and hoped that Hieke had been successful.

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"Yo quiero beber su sangre" means "I want to drink your blood." That part always makes me chuckle. Next chapter is Hieke's search of the Kakariko Well. Five reviews and a little patience if you wanna read it! This chapter was delayed because… well, I slept in until about eight, then I did some of my summer reading until ten, then I got up and took the dog outside, then I had breakfast, then I watched TV, then I helped my mother pay bills (she can only use one arm right now), then I wrote the responses, then I… updated. Yeah.


	12. Hieke's Trek Through the Well

As always, the first order of business is the reviewer responses!

Dragon-Charmer16: Kaze? Hieke? Hmm… I smell a colaborative OC fic! And the website is ready. I sent you a mail, and you can get to it by clicking "home page" in my profile.

Mxedcherub: When did I not say that my story rocks?

Mxedcherub: Well… it's comin', I suppose…

Mxedcherub: Funny, I don't remember being told that I'd get lots of reviews on my fanfiction. (smile)

Mxedcherub: Goin' places, goin' places… Ahem, please excuse me…

Mxedcherub: There's a little more humor in the future, but it more or less dies soon.

Mxedcherub: Actually, I saved myself the pain of writing about those terrible places and just put in the bare necessities. This chapter is a litte… less detailed than some of you may have become accustomed to seeing in my writing.

Mexedcherub: How could it have taken a while? I told you about that part time and time again before I even had my account active!

Jana+Anthony: I know they're short now, but they'll get longer. And thankies for viewing mah illustrations!

Samurai Snow: You're welcome, thank you, you're welcome again, they were _very_ good, you can change it somewhere in your account settings (probably under reviews), and I hope to hear more from you, too! Thanks for reviewing!

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: Ingo! XD That's a good one! Man, I wish I had put that in there instead! XD

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: The funny thing is that I wasn't even thinking about the White Rabbit when I wrote about Kanika. But since it makes more sense that way, I think I'm going to revise her next appearance to be very Wonderland-esque. That's a good idea! XP You have better ideas than me…

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: Actually, I finished Spanish I with a perfect 100 point average… But that's just me. I believe I said once before what an incredible nerd I am… I can write quickly when I want to, but this story is not the result of writing quickly. This story is the result of my boredom during the three-day waiting period. It's totally finished; I'm just requesting a minimum of five reviews before I post each chapter… Thanks for reviewing! (bow)

Whoo! My reviews are really piling up nowadays! All righty, here's Chapter 12! Sorry, Jana, but it's another short one. XP

**Chapter 12: Hieke's Trek Through the Well**

At about the time the underpaid, grumbling teenager repaired his TorchNOW display for the first time around…

Hieke sighed and yelled for the fourteenth time since she entered the well for the person playing that Star Trek music to turn it off. The music came to an abrupt stop. "Thank you!" Hieke growled.

She had been exploring the well for at least an hour and was beginning to wonder if Link was having better luck. What was worse was that a great deal of the areas were inaccessible. Many doorways were on the other side of little tunnels that she could have crawled through seven years ago, but not now. "Link, are you having better luck than me?" she muttered to herself.

After about ten more minutes, Hieke was extremely bored and was attempting to come up with a way to entertain herself.

"Do good? I? No! Evil anon I deliver: I maim nine more hero-men in Saginaw; sanitary sword a-tuck, Carol, I-lo!-rack, cut a drowsy rat in Aswan; I gas nine more hero-men in Miami; reviled I, Nona, live on. I do, O God!" she shouted. (Whoever guesses what kind of wordplay that statement is gets a cookie and honorable mention.) Many of the undead monsters hid in dark corners and waited for her to pass.

"Oh, look! Another small hole!" she cackled, losing her mind. "Let's blow it up!" A maniacal expression crossed her face and she took out one of the bombs she had stolen from Link when his back was turned. Hieke shoved the lit bomb as far down the tunnel as she could. "Thar she blows!" she called as the bomb exploded, blasting the wall away and eliminating the need for a tunnel.

"Mweeheehee! Oh, Shadow Spirit! Hey, Shadow Spirit! Princess Puffy Tuffy Tadaka would like to talk to you!" she sang with that psychotic flame still glowing in her eyes. A large poe appeared with a menacing laugh and started to fly around Hieke.

"Another poe! Would you like to hear me sing?" Hieke asked, remembering her experience with the purple poe in the Forest Temple. This poe shrieked like a young schoolgirl and exploded. An army of Gibdos marched out of the corners of the room, all them groaning with contempt. "You killed Posy!" one of them gurgled.

"Eh, she was such a _poe_-ser! Get it? It's like poser but…"

The Gibdos screamed in aggravation and charged at Hieke. She made haste in summoning her sword of light and began to fell walking mummies by the dozens. "La diddy da! Total massacre! Da lilly la! And ocean of rotting flesh! La diddy da! Slaying Gibdos! Da lilly la! I am the besh-t!" she warbled in her terrible singing voice. Many of the Gibdos just up and died from her song alone.

Then horrendous battle ended with Hieke standing triumphant atop a five-foot hill of Gibdo bodies piled on top of one another. A black wolf cautious strode out from the shadows. "L-lady Tadaka?" he stammered. Hieke jumped down from the mound of decomposing bodies and looked at the wolf.

"My name's Hieke," she informed, finally calm once again. The wolf nodded. "My name is Jaruko, the Shadow Spirit of Darkness," he introduced. "My brother is at the Shadow Temple. His name is Jaroku, and he is the Shadow Spirit of Light," he explained, his silver eyes affixed on Hieke's.

Hieke slowly nodded in understanding. "So there are two Guardian Spirits of Shadow… I suppose it makes sense. There can be no shadow without a light… That must mean that Jaroku is your older brother. Link is in the Shadow Temple right now, so we'll be fine." Jaruko grinned in relief. "There's a problem," he said. "Ganondorf's resurrection is imminent. You must hurry if you are to stop him."

"No problem," Hieke assured, waving off Jaruko's concern. "We only have one more Spirit left to locate." The dark-furred wolf barked to get the girl's attention. "No!" he protested. "You don't understand! After you gather all the Guardian Spirits together, which in itself will be difficult since we can't stand each other, you'll have to play the Song of the Celestials. Then we'll locate the Amulet of Epochs! You haven't forgotten the Amulet, have you?"

Hieke was pale, her amber eyes pale. "I forgot the Amulet!" she sobbed. "We'll never make it! What should we do?"

"You should hurry. That's what."

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Hieke... likes puns. I do not. Puns irritate me, especially the crappy kind that Hieke rolls off. This is the chapter that inspired the "rated for occasional morbidness" line in my summary... Well... eh heh... Okay. Five reviews and I'll update. I want an even sixty or more! ...definitely more! Since right now I have, like, at least 75 reviews… and it's only my fifth day of story-dom! W00t!

Okay, before we move on… I need your help. Desperately. As I've said before, this story is done. My problem now is that I _really_ want to write, but I have a massive case of writer's block. Could you guys give me some suggestions for my next fic, _please_? I'm really, really desperate!

Also, I've got a website up. It has pictures that go to this fanfiction on it. It's www(dot)skell(dot)org(slash)spoonz(slash). You can also reach it by going to my profile and clicking "home page". I'm taking suggestions for illustrations of scenes from this story, but please, nothing too elaborate. I'm not very good with action poses or backgrounds. XP

Okay, that's all. Hope you R&E, now please R! (that's "hope your read and enjoyed, now please review)


	13. When the River of Time Flows Thin

Review reply time! First, the replies for "A Doll Upon Evil's Shelf".

Samurai Snow: How could you have liked that? It was so terrible! I would have left it rhyme-less if it weren't for the first bit about shield and wield. I hade that line stuck in my head, so I turned it into a poem. And if the first part rhymes, why not make the rest rhyme? Rhymes are hard… Drawing manga, you say? Did you happen to visit my website or something, or is that just you loving manga as much as I do?

Jana+Anthony: Yeah, yeah, that's just you flaming without intentionally flaming…

Uber Spoonz: I flamed my own poem because no one else would…

Now for my story's replies!

Dragon-Charmer16: Actually, she didn't just freak out. There was something about her strange statement about "evil" and "God"… And I hope you'll tell me the result of this epic battle in your next review!

Mxedcherub: Dumb day? How dare you! You just beat Tales of Symphonia! You can't have a dumb day after that! It's… unprecedented!

Jana+Anthony: Why was it confusing? And I'll get your picture of Acarsis up there as soon as I have four other requests.

J.M.G: Hold on, I think my evil alter-ego Ayase has something to say to that… (gives microphone to Ayase) YOU LITTLE LIAR! YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE GUESSED IT UNLESS I HOLD TOLD YOU THE ANSWER WHICH I DID SO YOU DESERVE TO DIE! DIE DIE DIE! (gives microphone back to Spoonz) I think that about sums it up.

Samurai Snow: Yeah, I needed to get some humor in there and fast if it was to live up to the humor genre. If you liked that, you'll love chapter nine!

Zeldafreak123: I know the last three were short, but this one is normal length again.

CheeseFromJupiter: Yes, the shortness ends now. By the way, I love your new story!

And now for the answer! No one guessed correctly. Last chapter Hieke said, "Do good? I? No! Evil anon I deliver: I maim nine more hero-men in Saginaw; sanitary sword a-tuck, Carol, I-lo!-rack, cut a drowsy rat in Aswan; I gas nine more hero-men in Miami; reviled I, Nona, live on. I do, O God!" And I said that whoever guessed correctly what kind of wordplay that was would get a cookie and special mention. No one got it. The answer is that it's a palindrome. A palindrome is a sentence, word, or paragraph that spells the same thing when you turn it around. (Think "racecar".) Look closely at the above quote. If you read it backwards, rearraging only the punctuation and spacing, it spells the same thing. Okay, enough of that. Onto the next chapter! And this one is normal length for those of you who are sick of short chapters!

(Please excuse the crappy title)

**Chapter 13: When the River of Time Flows Thin**

"Hieke! Did you find one of the Spirits?" Link called when he saw his friend climbing the ladder that led to the depths of the Karkariko Well. Hieke climbed over the stones and looked back into the well, wondering where Jaruko was. The black wolf leaped out gracefully and shook himself to clear away the soil and grime from his fur. Jaroku, who had followed Link once they were out of the Shadow Temple, ran over to his brother.

"Brother!" Jaruko exclaimed. While the two wolves romped in the grass, Hieke reminded Link about the Amulet of Epochs. "We haven't got much time left," she said worriedly. "We still have to find the last two Guardian Spirits, locate the Amulet, and figure out how to use the Amulet to stop Ganondorf from reviving!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Link interrupted. "You mean to say that you don't know how the Amulet works? Well, jeez man! We've gotta pick up the pace!" Jaruko nuzzled Link's hand. "We may be able to help you with the location of the Light Spirit," he offered. Jaroku nodded his agreement. Hieke sighed in relief. "Thanks, guys," she said, her gratitude evident in her voice.

Jaruko and Jaroku explained that the Spirit of Light was at the Temple of Light. The trouble was that the Temple of Light was situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm. The only way to reach the Sacred Realm was to play a certain song in a certain place. Acarsis won the game again when it came to who was to be keeper of this song, but since she already kept the Song of the Celestials, this melody went to Kanika the Spirit of Time.

Luckily, the Temple of Time wasn't far. Link and Hieke quickly made their way to the church in Hyrule Castle Town. When they entered, however, who was there but Princess Zelda herself.

"Link," she said, her blue eyes wide. "Hyrule is in grave peril. We are once again threatened by the Gerudo King of Thieves. …oh! You're… Hieke, correct?"

Zelda turned to Hieke and studied her. "What are you doing with Link?" the princess asked. Link answered for his friend. "I'm helping her prevent Ganon's resurrection," he explained. Zelda looked at the hero with grave eyes. "You're only putting this girl in danger, you know," she said sadly. Link took a few steps backwards. "What are you talking about?"

Hieke cleared her throat. "Princess Zelda," she said in a sweet voice, "it's nice to know that you fret for my safety, but I am an experienced Gerudo warrior. I am more than capable of taking care of myself." Link backed up a little more. While both girls used calm, gentle tones, he could feel the tension brewing between them. Judging by the twitch in Zelda's eye, she was going to snap first.

"…you stay away from Link!" Zelda shouted as she lunged. Hieke, surprised, dodged the gnashing teeth of the princess. She drew the Pipe of Ages from her pocket and put it to her lips, though she was unsure of what to play. Eventually she settled on the lullaby Lea would sing to her as a child.

Zelda froze to the spot as the melancholy song drifted through her on the magic of the Pipe. Link also became rigid, his mouth ever so slightly agape. And Hieke, playing the haunting melody, stood with her eyes closed. A single tear escaped her amber eyes. When it hit the marble floor, a soft light glowed. Gradually the light grew. Hieke stopped playing abruptly when she noticed the small portal.

A small yellow bird flew through the vortex and spread its wings joyously. It chirped and flew circles around the room. It then stopped and hovered in front of Hieke. "Hello," it said in a warbling voice. "You can call me Shou. I presume you are the former Lady Tadaka, now known as Lady Hieke?"

Hieke nodded. "Surely you know about Ganon's revival. I've come to make sure the Prophecy won't be fulfilled. By seeking out the seven Guardian Spirits, I hope to utilize your respective powers as a whole to locate the Amulet of Epochs. Once we have the Amulet, I'm going to have to figure out how to use it…"

Shou cleared his throat. "You need not worry about such a thing," he chirped. "You will know full well what to do what the time comes. Now… you must locate the final Spirit."

"Where should we look?" Link asked. "And what should be call it? I mean, the Guardian Spirit of Spirit just sounds retarded… No offense if that's what it's called!"

The little bird laughed and fluttered over to Link, landing on his shoulder. His saffron feathers radiated a golden light, and he had a small diamond on his forehead. "It is called the Celestial Spirit," he explained. "You should look for it near the Haunted Wasteland. I'm sorry, but I don't know anything else about it. The Guardian Spirit of the Celestials may be the most powerful of the Spirits, but it was not around before the other six of us fell into our centuries of sleep."

Hieke nodded in understanding. "Looks like I'm going home," she said. Link nudged her a little. "I thought we could only see the Light Spirit by playing a certain song, that song being kept by Kanika," he reminded. Hieke gasped, obviously having forgotten that. Shou chirped a bit to get their attention.

"But you _did_ play the song, did you not?" he said questioningly. Hieke stared at the Pipe of Ages, still in her hands, in great curiosity. "I played the song Lea taught me," she murmured. "But… if that's the song that calls the Light Spirit, then why did she know it?"

Shou obviously comprehended something that Link, Hieke, and Zelda did not. "All will be revealed in good time," he said simply. "Until then, I suggest you search the Haunted Wastelands in your own era." The golden bird vanished in a flash of light.

"Well, I guess you'll be returning home now," Zelda muttered sadly. "Take care of yourself, Link." The Hylian princess lightly kissed Link's cheek, making the legend light up like a red light bulb. Hieke giggled and put the Pipe of Ages to her lips.

"Please no Teletubbies this time," Link begged. Hieke rolled her eyes and played the Song of Time. The blue warp came again and brought them back to their own time.

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This... was the chapter from Hades. Halfway through this chapter, after recently completing the five previous chapters and forgetting to save, the power went out and I lost all my work. Luckily, my Microsoft Word creates a recovery file in the event of an unexpected shutdown, so I really only lost a couple paragraphs of work! I love my word processor!

All righty, you know the drill. Five reviews and I'll update.

And guys, please, please help me! I need new ideas for… how about a bunch of one-shots? Short stuff like that helps to alleviate my writer's block. I wrote a short, crappy poem ("A Doll Upon Evil's Shelf") and suddenly I had the will to write again! If you'd like me to write a one-shot about something, tell me in your review. Also, if I get five drawing requests, I'll draw them and put them on my website (the address of which is my "home page" in my profile). Why five? I told you! Five is the magic number!


	14. Destiny

First, reviews for my poem!

CheesefromJupiter: AH! No slash! Dear gawd, no slash! Thanks for the cookie, but it really isn't good (the poem). I wish people would stop saying that! It has to be the worst thing I've ever written!

Talimthewindwaker: Thanks, but really, it isn't good… You don't need to lie.

Dragon-Charmer16: XD I still think a colaborative story featuring Link, Kaze, and Hieke sounds good… One-shot, of course. And really, there's no way you could've liked that poem unless you… wait, you _are_ insane, aren't you? Okay, let's just say there's no way you could have liked that poem! The only thing it's good for is getting rid of writer's block, which it did quite nicely. For that I am most pleased.

Now replies to the reviews for the story you're currently reading!

Dragon-Charmer16: One picture of older Hieke, coming up! XD Oh, I can see it now… "Hyrule Matchmakers". (Hieke: If you were going to attack another man for me, how would you do so? Kaze: I'd throw him in the water like so! (throws Link in water)) And I sent you the mail and got your reply, so I'll be waiting for that next chapter! 'Til then!

Jana+Anthony: I'd prefer to do Zelda, since I'm most experienced with Zelda. Give me a suggestion and I'll thumbs-up or thumbs-down it. Sorry, but if it's not Zelda, it'll probably be thumbs-downed. ;

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: I have no ideas of my own, either. Why do you think I'm writing fanfiction? And I see what you mean; it does have somewhat of a citric flavor. Is it just me or do I also taste a hint of underlying vanilla extract?

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: If you would like some help, I'd be more than happy to assist you. I'm cool like dat. Ahem… not really. But I'll still help however possible. Just send me a… oh wait, you can't see my e-mail. Heh… Okay, I'm going to fix it so you can view my e-mail. After that, if ever you need any help or anything, just e-mail me. "Butterflies are sissy"… hahaha! And I'll have Kanika drawn… eventually! Because I'm a major procrastinator!

Zeldafreak123: Yesh, I love my Microsoft Word. Thanks for reviewing.

Whoo! Okay! Onto the chapter!

**Chapter 14: Destiny**

Hieke laughed when she saw Link back in his young body. "What happened to gorilla Link?" she asked sweetly. Link shrugged. "Same thing that happened to voluptuous Hieke?" he guessed with a sly smile. Hieke, blushing, turned towards the exit. "Haunted Wastelands, right?" she said, not waiting for a response.

"Wait!" Link called. "I know a song we can use to get there really quickly! It goes like this." He hummed a song softly, so softly that Hieke had to ask him to repeat it. Once Link hummed with a decent volume, Hieke copied the melody on the Pipe and they were sent to the entrance to the Spirit Temple in a burst of orange light.

There was something wrong with the area. Even though it was morning, the stars shined brightly in the sky. In fact, they shined with more intensity than they did at night. Hieke looked up at the heavens, her brow furrowed in concern. Link surveyed the area for a clue as to the strangeness of the sky, but instead found a Gerudo woman running towards them.

"Miss Hieke!" she called. Hieke turned and gasped. "What's wrong?" she asked, hurrying to meet the woman. "I told you all that I'd be back as soon as I was finished completing the seal on the Evil Realm."

The Gerudo shook her head. "I-I know!" she said, out of breath. "But… a strange illness has struck Hyrule! Everyone is falling victim to the disease. The Gerudos have done their best to stay away from anyone who has been infected, but this sickness seems to carry on the wind. Lea has been infected! After her, dozens upon dozens of Gerudos succumbed to it each day! I am one of the lucky few who escaped the wrath of the disease!"

"Is it like this with everyone?" Link asked, fearing for his Kokiri friends. The Gerudo nodded dismally. "The Zoras, the Hylians, the Kokiri, and even the monsters! We fear it has a direct correlation to Ganondorf's return. Oh, Miss Hieke… We're running out of time! You have to hurry!"

Hieke's head was bowed, her shoulders tense. She looked up with a bright smile. "Don't worry. We only have one Spirit left to find, then we can get the Amulet of Epochs. With that, there's no way Ganon will return!" she promised. Link didn't look as confident. _If we fail_, he thought, _we'll have let all of Hyrule down… I can't let them all die…_ Memories of his friends in the Kokiri Forest filled his head.

"Let's hurry and find this last Spirit," Hieke suggested as she turned towards the Spirit Temple. Link nodded and followed her, waving goodbye to the Gerudo woman. This illness… No doubt Hieke's concern for Lea was unfathomable at the very least. Still she strode forward with her head high and shoulders level. Behind her eyes glowed the green love of the forest, the red determination of fire, the blue cleverness of the water, the viloet confidence of shadow, the yellow compassion of light, and the silver invincibility of time. And Link saw yet another color glow in her eyes, or perhaps it was merely the reflection of the stars…

Hieke ran to the center of the room in the Spirit Temple and threw her hands up. "I am Hieke, gatherer of the Guardian Spirits! I have come seeking the Spirit of the Celestials so that I may stop Ganon's resurrection! Please hear me!" she called. The two statues on either side of her seemed to shift their gaze to look at the girl.

"If it is the Guardian Spirit of the Celestials you seek, your journey to this place has been for naught," they said in unison. Hieke jumped with a gasp and looked at the two stone statues. Their eyes glowed an orange light. "She has been with you all this time," they explained.

A red-orange aura glowed around Hieke. Link wanted to run to her, but knew that nothing that was happening was hurting her. He held himself to that place as well as he could. Hieke closed her eyes and a pair of ochroid wings, shining with silver stardust, formed from the aura. Her long braid came undone, veiling her beneath her flaxen hair. She fell to her knees and the light subsided, leaving none other than the Guardian Spirit of the Celestials.

Link could no longer contain himself and ran up the small flight of stairs, then crouched beside Hieke. Her clothes had changed. Now she was dressed with a golden robe about her shoulders and an ornate silver gown that swept well past her feet. Her face was adorned with red marks that went from just over her eyebrow to her mouth line.

Hieke sat back with a small groan and put a hand to her head. "What happened?" she asked, looking at Link dazedly. The Hylian hero smiled weakly. "It looks as though you're the Spirit of the Celestials," he said simply, his voice cold and emotionless. _She looks older than she did before, but just a bit_, he thought as he looked at the being that sat in front of him. _Maybe it's just that she's a little more mature…_

The Spirit sighed and stood up, taking the Pipe of Ages from a hidden pocket on the inner lining of her cloak. She put it to her lips and played the song Acarsis taught her: the Song of the Celestials. As she played, a glimmer of comprehension appeared in her eyes, as though she had known all along it would turn out this way. The lights of the other Guardian Spirits glowed around her at the sound of the song. Link took a few steps backwards to give them some room.

Rose, Sear, Acarsis, Jaruko and Jaroku, Kanika, and Shou formed out of the lights. "Oh, Lady Hieke! _You_ are the final Spirit?" Rose said in awe. Hieke nodded once. "We haven't got a whole lot of time," she informed, the desperation showing ever so slightly in her voice. "A terrible illness has hit Hyrule, probably as a result of Ganon's impending revival. We must work swiftly!"

The Spirits nodded. "I, Rose, Spirit of the Forest, add my power!" Rose called. Hieke absorbed a little of the green glow.

"I, Sear, Spirit of Fire, add my power!" the crimson dragon called, giving Hieke his red light.

"I, Acarsis, Spirit of Water, add my power!" Acarsis called, sending her blue light to Hieke.

"We, Jaruko and Jaroku, Spirits of Shadow, add our powers!" the Shadow wolves called. A white light and a black light were sent to the Spirit of the Celestials.

"I, Shou, Spirit of Light, add my power!" Shou called as a yellow glow went to Hieke.

"And I, Niffy-poots, Spirit o-"

"Kanika!" the other Spirits shouted angrily. The cream-colored rabbit giggled. "I, Kanika," she corrected, "Spirit of Time, add my power!" Hieke absorbed the silvery blue light.

"I, Hieke, Guardian Spirit of the Celestials, take this power in my hands and call to thee, the Amulet of Epochs! Reveal thy self!" the girl called. The Pipe of Ages glowed in her hands. It separated into her Moon Pendant and Link's Ocarina of Time. Link caught the orb of light that he knew to be his ocarina when it was sent to him. But he was hardly interested by the return of his tiny blue ocarina. Hieke's Moon Pendant was evolving.

A round sheet of light appeared in the crook of the crescent shape. Seven diamonds, each a different color to represent each Spirit, formed around the perimeter of the pendant. They glowed brightly, glittering like stars. A flash of silver light blinded everyone for a split second.

When the light returned to normal, Hieke was holding the Amulet of Epochs.

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Well? Be honest; I bet you didn't see _that_ coming! Actually, I _know_ you didn't see that coming because _I_ didn't see it coming when I wrote it! The Amulet wasn't going to be the Moon Pendant, and Hieke wasn't going to be the Spirit of the Celestials. By the way, ochroid means gold in color. Wait... it does? CRAP! I wanted her wings to be silver! Oh, whatever. It's fine how it is.

Thanks to all you guys who have been reveiwing! If you're reading this chapter, it means I have a minimum of seventy reviews! But why stop there? Five more and you'll get one of the most surprising chapters yet!

Oh, dear divine entites… This is Chapter 14. Two days and the story will be complete. OH NO! And I've only just recently started on the sequel! Sorry guys, but it looks like you won't be getting the quick updates you've grown accustomed to when I post the sequel. But I assure you, it'll be worth the wait!

Okay, how long should I wait before I put the sequel up? I know I need to wait until this story is all done, but after that. I'm thinking I'll let it sit for a week before I add the sequel. What are your thoughts?


	15. Failure

Last chapter was a great one, but this one even better! First, replies for "A Doll Upon Evil's Shelf"!

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: You sure _I'm_ the crazy one? I mean, you actually liked the poem. That makes you crazier than I could ever be…

Wow, that was short! Next!

CheeseFromJupiter: I _wish_ I had a cake! Glad you liked the chapter, though.

FireDancer: No need to suffer from a case of pyromania… the update's right here. But here's a question for you! Why did you read the story? The title sucks and the summary is awful… I'm just curious why anyone would read this unless I asked them to. Heh. Thanks for reviewing, though!

Dragon-Charmer16: Well, Kaze… I think I have an interesting idea for an interesting story. "REVENGE OF THE OCs!" or something like that. Yep, that's Hieke with the wings. You can see it well in the eyes and hair. You don't miss a beat, do ya? And a surprise in "Trust Me"? Does it have to do with Kaze saying how there's already a girl he likes? AH! I wanna know! Heh, here I am in my story begging for the update of another. Am I pathetic or what?

Jana+Anthony: All of them? Like, individually? Maybe one group shot of the Spirits… But I'm bunching that in with your request for a drawing of Acarsis. Hah, no one likes to wait, but it's necessary. You see, if you want the speedy updates you're used to, you have to give me time to write the sequel! I'm hardly sure of the plot yet!

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: It'll probably only take about a couple hours for it to get sent to the second page, unfortunately. Zelda is one of the most frequently updated categories I've ever seen. Grand master of writing stuff? I write one story and suddenly everyone loves me! Well, that's why I signed up for creative writing in high school, I guess. Help is on the way! I'll try to piece together a plot for you as best I can!

FireDancer: Hieke being the last Spirit is only the very beginning of the three epic last chapters. If that surprised you, this one will knock your socks off! That is, if you're wearing socks. I'm not. I'm wearing slippers. Four days… that's an interesting suggestion. (shrug) Sounds good to me! Four days it is! And by the way… I update once a day, in the mornings/afternoons.

Zeldafreak123: One word that speaks volumes upon volumes… Thank you! (bow)

And now I have this to say: My story has been hit 294 times! So _tell me_ why I only have 99 reviews! And you! NoOnSh! I know! My story's on your favorites list! Thanks for that, but why won't you review? Well, anyway… Onto the next chapter! Second to last, not counting the preview for the sequel. Yes, there's a preview for the sequel!

**Chapter 15: Failure**

"So the Moon Pendant was the Amulet?" Link asked. Shou shook his head. "It was merely a vessel for our power. Once the Moon Pendant became instilled with the strength of the Seven Guardian Spirits, it fulfilled its purpose and became the Amulet of Epochs," the little bird explained.

"What do we do now?" Jaruko inquired, turning to his brother. The white wolf shrugged and looked at Hieke.

"I… I don't know," Hieke whispered, staring at the ground. "I think we have to find the site of Ganon's resurrection and seal it off." Link objected. "But… You'll come back, right?" he asked hopefully. Hieke smiled. "I'm not sure," she replied in honesty. Link nodded and bowed his head.

"It is time we fulfill our own purposes," Acarsis said bravely. "Despite the consequences, we must do what we can to protect Hyrule!" The other Spirits murmured their agreements to one another. "How can I help?" Link asked, eager to provide all the assistance he was able to.

"Link… We must find the location of Ganon's revival! Spirits, can I trust you to come when we find it?" Hieke said. Each of the Spirits gave their assent, and they vanished in a white light. Hieke sighed. "Link, whatever happens, please just… just trust me, all right?" she whispered. Link, confused, nodded.

Hieke held the Amulet of Epochs carefully in her hands. "Oh, great Amulet of Epochs, collection of the respective powers of each Guardian Spirit, please guide us to the place of Ganondorf's rebirth," she said softly, lifting the treasure above her head. Each of the diamonds flashed and the crescent shape glowed.

Elsewhere in Hyrule…

"Oh, Lea! If you die, Hieke may not have the will to complete her journey!" one of the Gerudo guards said as she wiped the feverish sweat from Lea's face.

"Hieke will succeed… She will not give up… She is strong…"

"Father!" Ruto cried. "Now, now, Princess. You should be resting in bed," Ruto's attendant said. "I'm sure the King will be fine…"

"That girl… She had tremendous power… I know she can stop this…"

"Is everyone all right now?" Saria asked weakly. She leaned against the doorway and closed her eyes. Mido spoke up from the bed he was laying in. "Don't worry about it, Saria. I'll… protect all the Kokiri…"

"No… Link's friend… I saw her… She's… the one…"

"Please, Princess," Impa pleaded. "You must get some rest." Zelda protested. "When my time comes… I must be ready to… help however I can!" she whispered. Impa shook her head. It was hopeless. All the inhabitants of Hyrule were riddled with this malicious disease.

"The girl… the one called Hieke… She will… not give up…"

All throughout Hyrule, people were thinking about the blonde girl raised by Gerudos and the potential for power that she held. Everyone who had come into contact with her at any point in time was now putting all their faith into her. She didn't know it, but Hieke was the one person in all of the land that everybody was relying on. For once, Link was getting a break with the pressure.

"It's in… the market! The site of Ganon's revival!" she exclaimed. Link growled and started for the exit. "We have to hurry! There's no way we can make it in time…!" he whispered fiercely. His hand moved to his pocket where he had put the ocarina when it was returned to him.

"I can no longer use the Pipe of Ages," Hieke said. "You must get us to Hyrule Castle Town." Link nodded and played the Prelude of Light on his ocarina. They were shipped off to the Temple of Time in a flurry of pale yellow lights.

"Hurry!" Hieke shouted, running out of the small church. Link followed, his heart racing. What if they didn't make it? What if they failed? _Failure is not an option!_ he told himself. _You know that full well! You cannot fail! You _will not_ fail!_

Hieke paused with a cry of shock when she saw the market square. Bodies were littered all over. In the very center was a vortex of blackness. Link walked forward just slightly, but froze when a booted foot emerged from the portal.

"We have… failed," he breathed. The revived Ganondorf let out a long, wicked laughter.

"How could we have failed?"

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Now THAT, if nothing else, is a cliffhanger! UBER-CLIFFHANGER! You're a dirty, dirty liar if you tell me you saw that coming through anything other than the chapter title! Next chapter is the last one (not counting the preview), and I want a whole lot of reviews if you wanna read it! How many reviews is a whole lot of reviews? I'll be the judge of that! (coughfivecough) R&R, please!


	16. The End

Only one new review for "A Doll Upon Evil's Shelf". Well, let's answer it!

Mxedcherub: Yeah, I know I'm crazy. But the poem still sucked.

Now for the rest of them! I have to say, I was a little disappointed this chapter. I just barely made the five review limit! Okay, let's go.

Dragon-Charmer16: Well, uh… Don't worry? And yes, Kaze's been added to the sequel. HERE THAT, EVERYONE? The sequel will make more sense if you read Dragon-Charmer16's story, "Trust Me". In fact, that's more or less the sequel to this. However, I'm working on the _direct_ sequel, but it contains characters and references to events that happened in "Trust Me", so I strongly suggest you read that!

FireDancer: Well, it's sure good to know that people are reading it, not because I asked them to, but just because they wanted to! I'm able to update once a day because I finished the story a long time ago, but I'm going slow with the updates. Y'know, suspense and whatnot. Sure, Ganon may be back, but he won't be for long. What kind of author would I be to let the bad guy win?

CheeseFromJupiter: Cliffhangers are my specialty! Wow, you like it that much? Well, here's the end of it for ya!

Mxedcherub: Yes, 'suspenseful' is a word. -.- You don't count; you know me too well. Heh, just kidding. ONLY I HAVE LICENSE TO USE THE WORD 'UBER'! Well… probably not. Oh well…

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: Here comes the resolution! Next chapter needed, next chapter granted!

Jana+Anthony: Will you stop complaining about length! I can't make them all eleven Microsoft Word pages!

Well, that's all for the reviewer responses. I bet you all just skipped right over that, didn't you?

**Chapter 16: The End**

"Well, well, well," Ganondorf chuckled. "It seems that not even the great Hero of Time could stop me from coming back."

Link fought back his tears of regret, anger, and sorrow. _How_ could they have failed! Failure wasn't an option! He had told himself that time and time again! He had thought it so often that he had truly come to believe that there wasn't the slightest chance of defeat! And now _this_! Ganon was alive again!

"I have you where I want you, Ganon!" Hieke spat. Link was convinced that she was bluffing. What could a couple of children do to defeat the ultimate manifestation of evil? This seemed to be Ganondorf's thoughts on the matter as well. "A little ex-hero and a little girl brought up by Gerudos? Oh, I am so frightened!" he sneered. "Please don't hurt me, little children! Oh, I am so delicate and afraid! BAH! Be gone!"

Ganon shot a blast of dark magic at the pair. Hieke shielded Link and herself with a veil of stars. It seemed this was the nature of Celestial magic. Hieke ran forward just a bit, then turned to Link with a sad smile. "Remember, I want you to trust me," she reminded. Fearful, Link rushed to restrain her. "What are you doing!" he shouted, holding her arm.

Hieke wrenched her wrist free of his grasp. "Stall Ganon!" she ordered. The Spirit sat down on her heels and clasped her hands together, closing her eyes. She was chanting something, but Link couldn't hear what. When Ganondorf lunged at Hieke to stop whatever she was doing, Link blocked him with his Kokiri sword.

"Let's go," he said in a cold, solemn voice. "Heh, you challenge _me_ with that pathetic weapon?" Ganon laughed. "Fine." He hovered above the ground and drew a _huge_ sword that he most certainly didn't use the last time he engaged Link in battle.

Link growled and charged at Ganon, dodging his attacks and delivering his own. Ganon launched an orb of dark magic at the young hero. He tried to hit it back, but his sword broke in two under the force of the evil magic! Link gasped, staring at his blade. He glared at Ganondorf, then lunged and whipped out his Din's Fire.

"Take this!" he shouted as the sphere of flame encircled him, extending outward. Ganon merely blocked it with a smirk. He gestured to Hieke. "Do you know what she's doing?" he asked with a knowledgeable tone to his voice. Link shook his head, confused.

"She's going to sacrifice herself to seal me away once and for all."

Link gasped and looked at Hieke, his eyes pleading for her to say that it was all a lie. But when Hieke looked up at him, her apologetic smile still plastered on her lips, he knew that it was no lie. "Why?" he breathed. "We can kill him. We can defeat him! You don't need to-"

"Trust me." Her voice sounded like a ghost whispering on the breeze. She spread her silver wings and hovered at Ganon's level. Link struck at the empty air. "He won't let you do this! He'll _kill_ you!" he shouted. Ganon laughed to the darkened sky.

"You naïve little fool," he chuckled. "If I wanted to kill her, I would have done so long ago. My revenge is taking the things you love away from you… no. Having the things you love willingly die before your very eyes while you sit there and watch helplessly. Besides, nothing you do can keep me locked away. I will return… every time you seal me."

"I call to the Guardian Spirits! Come to me!" Hieke summoned, tears cascading from her face. Link watched the scene with his teeth barred. He felt absolutely _useless_. But… that's exactly what Ganon wanted, and he would _not_ grant that monstrosity a last wish. "I trust you, Hieke!" he shouted to his friend, giving up on restraining his tears. "Farewell!"

Hieke smiled down at the young hero and waved goodbye. She was enveloped in a white light, a combination of all the powers of the Spirits. Her form stretched and shifted, enclosing Ganondorf within. He didn't as much as struggle. The light closed around him, sealing both him and all his evil inside. When the light cleared away, all that was left was a massive tree with flowers around its roots. The blooms were in many colors: loving green, determined red, clever blue, confident purple, compassionate yellow, invincible silver…

Link stared at the ground in remorse as a small glow appeared on the ground. When the light cleared away there was a new flower in its place. A brave amber flower… and next to it, the Moon Pendant.

With no more to be done in this country, Link hid the crescent pendant in his pocket and set out on Epona. After all, Hieke wouldn't want him to linger…

After Word

The Royal Family of Hyrule designated the market as sacred territory, dedicated to what became known as the Guardian Tree. Hyrule Castle City was relocated to the other side of the castle after being leveled by Ganon's revival. Statues depicting Hieke, Link, and the other six Spirits were erected in the area. The day after the ordeal, all the inhabitants of Hyrule became well again. The King of Hyrule ordered for a celebration to be held in memory of Hieke, the girl who sacrificed herself to protect the world and all its inhabitants.

This great celebration, known now as the Festival of Guardians, was held yearly. During the time of the Festival, children would run about with masks shaped in the countenance of the Spirits. The current princess or queen would adorn herself with a luxurious silver gown and wear a golden cloak around her shoulders. Village girls would wear silken wings, shimmering with silver glitter, and play on instruments constructed to look like the Pipe of Ages.

Many a treasure-hunter would ponder the whereabouts of the valuable Amulet of Epochs. More people wondered what became of young Link, the hero who assisted Hieke in saving all of Hyrule. Others still were curious if it was possible for their heroine to return, and if her doing so would allow Ganondorf to break the seal again. This quest became one of the greatest legends and mysteries of Hyrule, to be told for centuries upon centuries.

Minstrels wove tapestries of song and music about the courageous efforts of Link and Hieke. Children invented games in which a few of them hid and two of them would try to find the others. Books and poems were written. And the one idea that appeared in song after song, game after game, book after book and so on?

"For the sake of the world and all who inhabit it…"

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Heh, guess I kinda killed the humor in those last few chapters... So? Did you like it? This is actually... a _revised_ ending. You see, the last line in the original ending was, "This journey... was not yet over." But you see, I don't feel like writing a sequel right now. I'm all write-ed out. u u;

Can I have a "w00t" for the first story that I've ever finished? Yeah, it's true. I have this fetish with not finishing things... There an obligatory sidequest you all have to complete if you want to read the sequel. This is it: You must read "Trust Me" by Dragon-Charmer16. If you don't, you'll be uber-confuzzled in the sequel (which turned out to be the sequel to "Trust Me", not to "For the Sake of the World"). Anyway, yeah… You guys go read that now. I believe there are four chapters up, number five is coming, number six goes up when I get the sequel posted.

Okay, so that's the end of "For the Sake of the World". This story has been done forever, but I decided to feed it to ya slowly. I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

-Your demented author friend,

Über Spoonz

By the way, this may be the "last chapter", but later today I'm posting another addition to this fiction. It's a sneak peek at the sequel! Also, reviews for this chapter and the sneak peek will be answered in the first chapter of my sequel. What are you waiting for? Go review!


	17. Sneak Peek!

**Sneak Peek!**

First off, let me say one thing: Those of you who read the whole story through and didn't review, go back and review now! Just because this story is over doesn't mean your reviews won't be replied to. First chapter of the sequel, which does not yet have a title, will contain responses to all your reviews of Chapter 16: The End. Heck, to this chapter as well!

For those of you who liked my style and enjoyed my writing, keep your eyes open for the sequel (coming soon to a fanfiction website near you!). Should be about two days. Until then, I'll leave you with this parting gift: a sneak peek at the sequel! Here we go:

_**Chapter 1: Changes**_

_Link sighed and looked up into the sky. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and cloudless, the forest was in good health… The only thing wrong was that his friend was not there to share it with him…_

_To think that it had happened so long ago, and he still had no idea how to get Hieke back without releasing Ganondorf as well. Navi was the answer. She would know; somehow, she _always_ knew. But where he would find Navi… well, honestly he had no clue._

_Months upon months of endless travel had left Link somewhat rugged. His bangs almost totally covered his face and his eyes were darkened with loss. His clothes were loose-fitting and torn in random places. And as for his left arm…_

_A recent battle had left that arm all but useless. It was now bandaged tightly and hung in a makeshift sling. Should he encounter a tough battle, there was no way he would emerge victorious, let alone alive. He leaned against a nearby tree and closed his eyes. Hieke was a powerful Spirit… if he could find her, she could probably heal him. And Navi was the key to all this._

_"What are you doing here?" a young, somewhat gruff voice demanded. Link sprang to attention and looked around, then spotted the brown-haired boy standing beside the tree. His face was dirtied and scratched, and his clothes were in a condition similar to Link's. Only his chocolate bangs showed from beneath the red bandanna tied over his head._

_"Oh! You're… you're Link, aren't you?" the boy guessed. Link smiled with a soft chuckle. "How has the Bomber Squad been, Jim?" he asked with a ghost of a grin. Jim shook his head and stretched. "Jim is so juvenile," he sighed. "Call me James."_

Jim from the Bomber Squad! Bet you _never_ saw that coming! Eventually they'll join up with Malon, then Kaze (from "Trust Me" by Dragon-Charmer16). To those of you used to my trademark brand of humor… sorry, but it's pretty much AWOL in this fic. I'm trying to get in at least a moment of basically every genre… Jim—er, I mean James—is more or less the comic relief, but he plays an important role in the end. What that role is, I will not disclose!

I'm guessing the most humorous chapter will be the one with the Chinese food… Yes, I'm planning a chapter with Chinese food! MUAHAHAHA! And that chapter will be based (almost) entirely upon true events that have happened to me and my Chinese food. Heh, this'll be a great story…

This story may contain one-sided Malink and Zelink, but I haven't decided on that yet. The story is still in progress. Give me your thoughts! But ya'll know Link has to end up with Hieke! ; ) Anyway, it takes place in Hyrule after "For the Sake of the World" (duh) and also after "Trust Me". I strongly suggest reading that story, as it is both a brilliant story and the sequel occurs after it, thusly containing some characters and references to events from it.

All right, guys. It's been a real pleasure workin' with ya, and I hope to see you all in the sequel! 'Til then, you can read Dragon-Charmer16's story, "Trust Me". It's not done yet, but I'm sure it'll keep you more than entertained. Let's see if I can piece this together right… "For the Sake of the World" happened a while after Ocarina of Time, then Majora's Mask occurred, then "Trust Me", then my sequel. All righty! Got it all sorted out! Okay, then. See ya in two days with the sequel, 'cause that's the wait period I finally settled on!


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